There's an interesting article in USA Today about the importance of the vocal performance of an actor playing a villain:

Three weeks before shooting began on The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger called director Christopher Nolan to discuss an epiphany he had about his character, The Joker.

The key to the demented killer, Ledger said, was his voice. Without a menacing hiss, it would be a retread of Jack Nicholson's satirical turn when he played the character in 1989...

"He wouldn't even really rehearse with the voice," says Christian Bale, who plays Batman. "He held it back a little, waiting for the cameras to roll. But when they did, we knew he was on to something special."

The article goes on to include interview snippets with Sam Raimi about his favorite villainous voices ... and with Javier Bardem about the strange cadence of his hitman in No Country For Old Men ... and with James Earl Jones about Darth Vader's iconic snarl.

The whole article is interesting and worth reading.

Labels: Movies, News