One of the memorable mannerisms of an unforgettable villain is grating on some DCU fans.
The topic of Heath Ledger‘s incessant lip-licking as Joker came up in the r/DC_Cinematic subreddit, where a fan praised his performance in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight but took issue with his habit of touching his tongue to his lips.
One fan pointed out that in I Am Heath Ledger, the post-humous documentary about the late actor’s life, Ledger initially started licking his lips while shooting The Dark Knight for practical reasons. The special effects department used prosthetics to create Joker’s facial scars. However, they started shifting whenever Ledger said his lines, so the resourceful actor used his tongue to push them back into place.
Another fan admitted that the lip-licking had become somewhat redundant due to the cultural impact of the character, but they also felt it elevated Ledger’s performance.
One Redditor mentioned the visual potency of the tic and suggested Joker’s lip-licking communicated on a primal frequency.
Yet another fan offered an entirely different perspective, arguing that tongue-licking is a common habit among people with substance dependency issues. This harkens back to the fan theory that Joker is a drug addict.
No doubt Joker’s lip-licking helped illustrate the predatory and disruptive aspects of the character. It made him seem like he could barely restrain his ravenous devouring nature. It effectively made viewers feel uncomfortable as the tic appeared to be a way for Joker to soothe his innate aggression. Finally, it is a testament to the intuitive and untouchable acting genius of Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight is streaming on HBO Max.