In the days following the horrific shooting in Aurora, Colo., which has left 12 dead and 58 injured, another cast member of "The Dark Knight Rises," Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has spoken out about the tragedy.
On Monday, Gordon-Levitt, who plays a police officer in the film, expressed his condolences on Twitter, writing:
The film's director, Christopher Nolan, previously spoke out about the shooting. "I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community," Nolan said in a statement on Friday evening. "The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
His sentiments were echoed by Batman himself, Christian Bale, who on Saturday broke his silence about the shooting, and released the following statement:
“Words cannot express the horror that I feel. I cannot begin to truly understand the pain and grief of the victims and their loved ones, but my heart goes out to them.”
On Sunday, actress Anne Hathaway, who plays Catwoman in the film, also expressed her sympathies for the victims and their families.
"My heart aches and breaks for the lives taken and altered by this unfathomably senseless act," she said in a brief statement. "I am at a loss for words how to express my sorrow. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."
The suspected gunman, James Holmes, made his first court appearance on Monday. In the televised proceedings, it was confirmed that Holmes did indeed have brightly dyed red-orange hair, which is notable as there have been some reports that he claimed to be portraying the Joker, who was played by the late Heath Ledger in 2008's "The Dark Knight" (though it's also worth noting that Ledger's character had greenish-yellow hair in the film). On July 21, the late actor's father, Kim Ledger, spoke to the Australian newspaper The Herald Sun about the tragedy.
"We can't blame Heath or the character," he said. "I think that's the least of my worries ... I'd be more worried about the families and other people involved in the tragedy rather than anything else.''
To give back to the families and victims of the Aurora tragedy, head over to our how-to-help Aurora page.
