Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the Joker role in The Dark Knight before Heath Ledger

John Papsidera, Christopher Nolan’s longtime casting director, said Leonardo DiCaprio was sent the script for The Dark Knight before Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker. Papsidera’s account suggests DiCaprio never replied, offering new detail about how the film’s defining performance came about.

Papsidera said three actors were discussed: the first did not respond, the second declined because he did not want to make big films, and the third was Ledger. He said Ledger described the Joker as an anarchist intent on tearing everything down, matching Nolan’s view of the character. Joaquin Phoenix was reportedly the second actor approached, though Papsidera did not name the actors in his account.