Batman's Other Villain: Talking To Aaron Eckhart

THE trailers for "The Dark Knight" have shown quite a bit of Heath Ledger's scabbier, surlier reinvention of the Joker (think of Malcolm McDowell's thug from "A Clockwork Orange" but with kelp-colored hair, scars and a hyena laugh), but the producers have been keeping the film's other Batman bad guy, Two-Face, under wraps. ¶ "That's right, people don't really know yet," actor Aaron Eckhart said with grin. "I can tell you that, basically, when you look at Two-Face, you should get sick to your stomach. Being the guy under all that, well, that was a lot of fun for me. It's like you would feel if you met someone whose face had pretty much been ripped off or burned off with acid. I can't talk about it beyond that because I don't want to give away too much of the plans by Chris." ¶ Chris is Christopher Nolan, the director of "Batman Begins," the acclaimed 2005 franchise reboot, and of "The Dark Knight," the sequel that hits theaters July 18 with a tale that looks far darker and more psychological than the other, sunnier superhero fare this summer. The darkness goes beyond the screen as well; 28-year-old Ledger died in January in New York after an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.

The death of Ledger and the word of his incendiary performance in this film have made him the natural focus of early media coverage of "The Dark Knight." But Nolan told The Times this year that the foundation of the film is the tale and transformation of Eckhart's character, Harvey Dent, from a crusading Gotham City prosecutor to Harvey Two-Face, a maniac whose face is ravaged on one side by a horrible injury.

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Comments

[TurgidCaterwauling]

For those of us who knew Batman from the original comics, we've waited a long time for someone to get these films right.

Jack Nicholson and Tommy Lee Jones, great actors that they are, were little more than star turns reminiscent of the T.V. series.

[DoctorDonut]

Batman's Other OTHER villian...

http://www.theweeklydonut.com/index.php/2008/05/01/the-dark-knights-nemesis/

[Gingerously]

love them mormons! i am cautiously optimistic because any time these comic movies come up with two or baddies, the film stinks.

[JohnCochtosten]

This movie is going to rule.

[politricking]

tommy lee jones version? please. jack's joker was alright.

but this is a new Batman. this is the Dark Knight Batman.

the Batman man fans were waiting forever to see.

[NeoStar9]

They really were keeping a lid on Aaron Eckhart and his character. I had no clue that Two-Face was possibly going to be in the film until I saw the new trailer when I saw "Iron Man" this past Friday. They really shouldn't have said anything at all until after the movie released so it would be a huge surprised.

[GrandpaMcCain]

God. First The Joker, who was brilliantly played by Nicholson, now Two-Face, who was wonderfully played by Tommy Lee Jones. Methinks you people are running out of ideas.

[JohnCochtosten]

Nicholson played himself and Jones played the most corny Two-Face ever. Watch the trailer and you'll see why this one will be superior:

http://www.whysoserious.com/happytrails/trailer.htm

[Stillhere29]

Hoping this isn't a tommy-lee jones mess up!

[kellygrrrl]

Aaron Eckhart is such a wonderful (under-rated) actor.
His performance in Thank You for Smoking was brilliant

not a fan of Batman-type movies, but I will see this just for Mr. Eckhart
just as I will see Iron Man for Robert Downey Jr.