ROTTEN TOMATOES: Aaron Eckhart Talks The Dark Knight Comments

Aaron Eckhart Talks The Dark Knight

by Jeff Giles | March 10, 2008

Summary

The film's early marketing focused on Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, but The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has promised that his Batman Begins sequel is really about following the arc of Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face. Back to Article

(1-46 of 46 posts) | Reply

Warheart1188 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 05:44 AM

Spoiler! Why did Eckhart have to run his mouth? I didn't want to know about Two Face until I got to see the movie.

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bethehero7404 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 06:01 AM

Love the viral marketing campaign with this. I do agree that "surprises" are no longer available anymore with all of the technology. Spoilers do nothing but ruin things. This is most likely why I didnt like Spider-man 3 as much because I knew what was coming. But I would have hated it any way regardless.

I can not wait for Dark Knight and love the way Harvey Dent is already being used. Way better than Batman Forever and maybe even the Animated Series. Time will tell.

I Believe in Harvey Dent!

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 06:53 AM

Relax, Warheart. This is hardly a big deal. What would suck is if he got into detail about when, what, why, and where. Knowing that Two Face shows up in this film is on par with know in Cloverfield that at some point the monster's gonna show up. What would kill this thing is if the script were bad, and if we were foolish enough to read it beforehand.

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walkingdead09 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 06:54 AM

In batman forever, he was already two face, you didn't get the back story. I think there was one line where Batman calls him Harvey and tells him he needs help, but other than that if you don't know the back story, you think he's just a madman with a jacked up face. Nolan goes more the complete story route, which is cool. Hopefully this won't be one of those movies where they have too many ideas going on at once, like SPider-man three. Should be good.

JD

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xenogears writes:
on Mar 10 2008 06:57 AM

Why are spoilers such a big deal? You know it's coming, in this movie or the next, so why be upset over knowing its happening in this one? I'm happy I don't have to wait for the net one to get a glimps at the him like they did with the first one.

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rgallitan writes:
on Mar 10 2008 07:26 AM

"The film's early marketing focused on Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, but The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan has promised that his Batman Begins sequel is really about following the arc of Harvey Dent, a.k.a. Two-Face."

O-kaaaay. God forbid Aaron Eckhart dies in a car crash, or we'll find out how Dark Knight is REALLY actually (we're serious this time) about...

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Bob* writes:
on Mar 10 2008 07:43 AM

well they already said that two face was about to be in this movie anyway.

This is the most anticipated movie of the year for me ^^ Can't wait!

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EdwardBlake writes:
on Mar 10 2008 07:53 AM

Being familiar with the comics, particularly 'The Long Halloween' I already have a good idea of how the plot is going to move forward. The excitement for me is in the plot's execution and the smaller twists and turns.

That is what makes this different than Spiderman 3. That movie threw in Venom to please producers and impatient fanboys.

Including Harvey Dent's transformation as the tragic conclusion to a Batman story about the rise of Gotham's 'freaks' (Joker & others) is rooted in the source material. Its how it is supposed to be done.

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thereign writes:
on Mar 10 2008 08:17 AM

My only problem is that I wish Eckhart and others would stop referring to the character as "Harvey Two-Face", a stupid misnomer that's been around ever since Batman Forever, thanks to the inept comic stylings of "director" Joel Schumacher. The persona of the District Attorney is Harvey Dent; after the scarring and his psyche snaps, he is Two-Face. Same person but two almost uniquely different personas. He has NEVER been called "Harvey Two-Face" in the comics, and it simply sounds retarded.

Other than that, I absolutely can't wait for this movie.

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Shadowflare writes:
on Mar 10 2008 08:28 AM

Since I've read the source material, there's nothing in the movie that's really going to surprise me, save for how it's executed and it what order.

And I'm really hoping this movie is about Batman, and not Two-face or the Joker. They're necessary elements, but I'm hoping their stories swirl around a focal point that is the Bat.

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minderbinder writes:
on Mar 10 2008 08:34 AM

Anyone who wants to go into a movie unspoiled should avoid reading articles about that movie. If you REALLY want to go in spoiler free, avoid the trailers too.

Simple as that.

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 08:52 AM

In reply to this comment (#1624829)
Agreed.

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Bigbrother writes:
on Mar 10 2008 08:57 AM

In reply to this comment (#1624757)
Yeah, that seems a stupid comment to me. Are we too believe it's a coincidence that Ledgers death coincides with this shift in direction? That's not crediting the movie public with much intelligence. Everyone who knows Batman knows that the premiere villain of the piece has always and will always be the Joker. This shift away from the Joker to respect Ledgers memory is really starting to piss me off. There's no worse way to remember the dead than by diminishing their accomplishments in life or worse pretending they didn't happen. Give us the Joker in all his manic, lethal glory. I hope for Mr. Nolans sake that that's a misquote or taken out of context otherwise I've lost a bit of respect for him as a person if not as a film maker

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TortillaSoup writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:12 AM

I really don't think they are shifting focus from the Joker to respect Ledger. They've already drilled the Joker into people's minds for a while now. Now it's time to promote one of the other draws, the presence of Two-Face.

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arendr writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:28 AM

Man...for the first time in a while I can really say BRING ON THE JUNE/JULY MOVIES!

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EdwardBlake writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:45 AM

The story is going to be about how the Joker's killing spree drive both Batman AND Harvey Dent to the edge of becoming the murdering freaks they want to dispel from the city. Which, of course, is 'The Joke.'

One crosses the line, the other doesn't.

The MARKETING shift in focus from the Joker to Two-Face may have been hastened by Ledger's death, but I believe fully when Nolan and others say that Batman's relationship with Dent and how each deals with the Joker is a more central storyline.

Seriously, read 'The Long Halloween.' You'll instantly get what Nolan is doing here.

The Joker is going to be a catalyst for the plot, but he won't be a dominant character. Anton Chigurh may well be a good example of how the Joker is going to be featured in this movie. A force of nature antagonist.

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EdwardBlake writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:48 AM

FYI

Go check out Ibelieveinharveydent.com

Its fully up and running. At first glance, a clear counterweight to 'whysoserious.' With photo contest, etc.

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AFuneralMaker writes:
on Mar 10 2008 09:48 AM

In reply to this comment (#1624897)
They said before Ledger died that the story revolved around building Dent as a character. Stop crying over who is respectful and who isn't. Stop saying that Nolan is only using the death as a sales ploy. You KNOW it would have just as much advertising and campaigning if Ledger were still among us.

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 10:05 AM

I admit that I too am a little fed up with folks assuming that every little piece of marketing for this film that doesn't showcase the Joker is automatically an act of disrespect for Ledger. Yes, Hollywood does a lot of stupid, cutthroat things, a lot of down right retarded, sleezy, unbelieveably insensitive, out-of-touch-with-humanity type things. With regularity, sure. But it's not them, it's us who lose when we allow ourselves to always jump to most negative conclusion in the face of ambiguity.

Like Edwardblake said, read The Long Halloween. That being the story from which this film gets inspiration, it makes perfect sense that they'd make a marketing shift to the Batman/Dent dynamic.

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sharpless writes:
on Mar 10 2008 10:29 AM

In reply to this comment (#1624688)
You really shouldn't have read this article in the first place, if you didn't want spoilers. If an actor is talking about his role, it's probable that some will come out.

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Dinobot77 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 11:06 AM

I understand how some might be upset with Warner Brothers on changing the marketing direction. Yet, you are missing the point in doing so. The film was already created and in post-production before Heath died. Therefore, they didn't exactly change the movie in order to go away from Heath. They have just decided to focus on another aspect of a movie that was already made.

I just hope that the ending of the movie is as ironic and dark as it should be. There really shouldn't be any true glory when this movie ends.

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jokerboy1991 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 11:10 AM

In reply to this comment (#1624688)
Then why did you read this.. Aaron Echart is great, and hes gonna be a great 2 face in a Great movie.

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BUCK69 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 12:24 PM

In reply to this comment (#1624688)
[in response to Warheart1188] THEN DON'T READ IT!!! The headline should've provided more than enough warning.

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opTIMus Nerd writes:
on Mar 10 2008 12:33 PM

And for the record, they did show the Two-Face origin in 'Batman Forever' as a flashback...And here I thought I blocked that movie out of my memory...

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 12:53 PM

In reply to this comment (#1625141)
Now look, you done went and gave me one of those frightening horror movie flashbacks. Thanks a lot, Optimus. ;-)

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 12:54 PM

By the way though, on the serious tip, a clumsy after though flashback doesn't count as an origin story. Lucky us.

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collex writes:
on Mar 10 2008 01:14 PM

To those who complain about Harvey Two-face: I think Aaron used the term "Harvey Two Face" to says that the character we'll see will be in transition. It won't Harvey Dent nor Two-Face, but a mix of both, a transition of sort before the split personnality become a full-fledged character in his own right.

And don't forget that this interview is a transcript. It may not exactly what Aaron said.

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CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on Mar 10 2008 01:16 PM

y'know, it always makes me ponder how such a great like tommy lee

jones was wasted in "forever" but we know why that was so..(see: schumacher)

Still, I am so elated to know we have a great director guiding up and coming

actors like Eckhart in this seemingly already legendary film.

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CoUcH ToMaToE DoUgIe writes:
on Mar 10 2008 01:17 PM

Also, is anyone a bit nervous when Eckhart says "I have done

scenes as Harvey Two-Face. It's interesting. I won't tell you exactly what

we're going for, but I think that I can say that it will use all of today's

technology to create this character." I always when "today's technology" is

used to create characters. Hey, I'm probably just bored and making myself

worry for nothing but until i see the movie it will remain a tiny concern.

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Bigbrother writes:
on Mar 10 2008 01:29 PM

In reply to this comment (#1624949)
Just to clarify I never said they were using Ledgers death as a sales ploy. In fact I said pretty much the opposite. I think it was pretty obvious from the early ad campaign and the set up from the first movie that Ledgers performance as the Joker was the centerpiece of the film. I was questioning the timing of this shift in focus and the commentary that all along the film was really more about Harvey Dent than the Joker which seemed a bit indelicate to make weeks after the actor who plays that character died AND after you've been obviously using him as the major selling point for your movie up until that point.

I HAVE also read the Long Halloween and acknowledge that the Dent transition is a major aspect of that story and that's all well and good to the comic book, but movies are a different medium which I have no doubt Mr. Nolan understands and what makes movies as often as plot points is tour de force performances and dramatically interesting characters which no disrespect to Two Face or Aaron Eckhart both of who I like very much, but The Joker is always going to have the edge in those two departments on screen or in a comic. He's the greatest villain in comics and since the inception of Batman has been a scene stealer. Maybe I'm off base, but that is after all just one mans opinion.

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incredible_hulk writes:
on Mar 10 2008 01:37 PM

you knew it was going to happen don't lie to yourself

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Warheart1188 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 01:39 PM

"Why are spoilers such a big deal?"

oh, xenogears. If you have to ask, then you've no idea.

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 02:12 PM

In reply to this comment (#1625237)
You know, Warheart, within the context of this thread, you're coming off like the guy who shoots himself in the foot and then gets mad at the gun.

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salsafish writes:
on Mar 10 2008 02:41 PM

The first movie made attempts to be faithful to the real comic villians, so there's no way they're going to use the goofy tommy lee version. This shouldn't be a spoiler to anyone, not even your grandmother, who has never heard of batman.

That Two-face actually appears is also pretty clear, having him not even show up would be slow-paced. The appeal of the Joker is his complete nuttiness, not whatever character development might have appeared in something like The Killing Joke. Thus, you won't be seeing a movie's worth of Joker development.

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MaxFisher14 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 02:58 PM

cooooooooooooool.

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arendr writes:
on Mar 10 2008 03:26 PM

It's been well-documented that Two-Face appears in this movie. It's not really a secret.

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I Am Remote writes:
on Mar 10 2008 03:31 PM

Exciting. As much as I trust Nolan, both Joker and Two-Face are huge characters. I'm okay with Two-Face appearing in TDK, but neither villain should get a Scarecrow treatment (or god forbid, a Venom one). With Maroni cast we knew Harvey would get scarred in this film, but I didn't think we'd see Two-Face in action...

Makes me wonder. I'm cautiously excited.

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IMAmoose24 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 04:24 PM

Trailer should be rollin around any day now...

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damvbat writes:
on Mar 10 2008 04:37 PM

the dark knight is going to be ssooooooooooooo good

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GelflingJen writes:
on Mar 10 2008 05:05 PM

I wonder if they weren't going to kill the Joker in this movie. Maybe that is why the have shifted the focus on Two Face. If thats the case hopefully they don't kill of the Joker in half-assed way to catch up.

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twinsfan2715 writes:
on Mar 10 2008 06:23 PM

i remember reading on ign.com that there was supposed to be a new trailer attached to 10,000 BC (which was terrible by the way, cool vfx though). the new trailer would focus more on bruce wayne and harvey dent and be less about explosions and gunfire and all that. i was SEVERELY disappointed when this trailer was not shown. i was really excited to see the joker, but we have had (at the earliest) shots and sound of him for half a year now. i truly believe Heath's joker will be INCREDIBLE, but i am really now looking forward to the "tragedy of harvey dent". i say it every post, but july can't come soon enough

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Matanuki writes:
on Mar 10 2008 06:38 PM

In reply to this comment (#1625583)
You should have left 10,000 BC before it even started and demanded a refund. Anyway, I think we all agree with your comment. The "tragedy of Harvey Dent" can't come soon enough.

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Hamboner writes:
on Mar 10 2008 07:16 PM

Billy Dee Williams will forever be the ONLY Harvey Dent in my mind. No Reservations was terrible.

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arendr writes:
on Mar 10 2008 08:17 PM

Hey Warheart, if you're so afraid of spoilers, why do you have one of the leaked Dark Knight stills as your avatar?

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Paul777 writes:
on Mar 11 2008 01:16 AM

What's a two face?

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BowieSwimmer writes:
on Mar 19 2008 08:46 AM

Actually, this is not a spoiler at all.
If you were into the viral marketing, and know ANYTHING about Batman as the original comic book/graphic novel character, and you'd surely know that Harvey Dent was indeed Two Face. And it was been common knowledge that Eckhart was cast as Harvey Dent.
It would be trivial to have Dent in a film where he did not become Two Face. His role past his villainy is minimal.

Nolan has made is especially clear that the film focuses on Two Face's arch through most of his more recent interviews, saying that while marketing has focused on the Ledger's iconic Joker portrayal, the film's narrative is more focused on Dent.

If you don't want spoilers, don't read.
But if you know enough, and have read enough about the film and its source material, then none of this information would be surprising or really a spoiler.

(Reply to this)

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