Watch: The Similarities Between Tom Waits & Heath Ledger’s ‘Joker’

Here’s something to brighten up your Tuesday. There are some video clips making the rounds that are drawing comparisons between the characteristics of Heath Ledger’s epic portrayal of DC Comics‘ character The Joker and revered American singer/songwriter Tom Waits.

The footage of Waits is taken from two separate interviews that took place on the Don Lane Show during 1979 and 1981 respectively. For anyone familiar with Heath’s performance in The Dark Knight, the similarities are almost instantly recognisable and border on uncanny. The most notable comparison is the voice of Waits and how closely it is mirrored by Ledger’s Joker, but there also exists a shared quality in the manner in which each party carries themselves.

This is not to say that Ledger necessarily drew inspiration from Waits, but it’s certainly very interesting to watch the interviews and the scenes next to eachother. Of course, both the interviews and the scenes are entertaining to see in their own right. Another interesting fact, as pointed out by Pedestrian TV, is that both Waits and Ledger acted together in Terry Gilliam’s film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Watch: Tom Waits – Don Lane Show Interview 1979

Watch: Heath Ledger as the Joker – Interrogation Scene – The Dark Knight

Watch: Tom Waits – Don Lane Show Interview 1981

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBiAzxA-MnI

Watch: Heath Ledger as the Joker – Hospital Scene – The Dark Knight

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