In his latest memoir titled “Don’t Look Back, You’ll Trip Over: My Guide to Life,” Michael Caine reveals that he felt genuinely “scared” of Heath Ledger while they were working together on Christopher Nolan’s film “The Dark Knight,” as reported elsewhere.
NME
Caine portrayed Alfred Pennyworth in Nolan’s Batman trilogy; Ledger joined for the second film, taking on the role of the Joker.

The smudged cosmetics, the bizarre hairstyle, the odd vocal delivery. It sent shivers down my spine,” Caine mentions about his deceased cast mate. “It completely astonished me when I witnessed him perform for the first time – I felt petrified.

Ledger’s acting pushed the other performers on set to “step up their game” according to Caine. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is considered one of the most remarkable villainous performances ever captured on film. Posthumously, he earned an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sadly, Ledger passed away in January 2008 at age 28, just a few months prior to “The Dark Knight” hitting theaters in July.

Heath was merely 28 years old when he died,” Caine notes. “By the time I reached that age, I hadn’t even started ‘Zulu.’ Considering all that he could have accomplished, it’s incredibly devastating.

“We were all terribly shocked, and it made doing the publicity for ‘The Dark Knight’ that summer much more intense, because all the journalists wanted to talk about his death,” Caine adds. “It still makes me sad to think of it… [it’s] a performance for the ages. Even though his career was cut short so soon, he’ll be remembered as a great actor, I believe.”

Caine continued to play the character of Alfred in “The Dark Knight Rises” from 2012. He often starred in movies directed by Christopher Nolan, beginning with “Batman Begins” and continuing through blockbusters like “The Prestige,” “Inception,” “Tenet,” and “Interstellar.” You can also hear Caine’s voice in “Dunkirk.”

Caine’s memoir, “Don’t Look Back, You’ll Trip Over: My Guide to Life,” can now be bought.