Heath Ledger's Joker 'Terrifying', Says Director

THE DARK KNIGHT director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN has paid tribute to the dark acting skills of late actor HEATH LEDGER - branding his performance in the movie "terrifying."

The Brokeback Mountain star filmed his final scenes as the Caped Crusader's nemesis The Joker for the forthcoming Batman film last year (07), just weeks before his tragic death in January (08).

And Nolan states the actor's final film sequences are spectacular - likening him to a shark who expertly brings "chaos" and "mayhem" to the evil role.

Nolan tells Britain's Empire magazine, "Our Joker - Heath's interpretation of The Joker - has always been the absolute extreme of anarchy and chaos. (And) what makes him terrifying is not to humanise him in narrative terms. We didn't want to show what made him do the things he's doing, because then he becomes less threatening.

"I like to say he cuts through the movie like Jaws. He just kind of comes and goes and causes complete mayhem."

Earlier this year (08), sources close to the late actor claimed playing the manic role pushed Ledger into a depressive state, insisting he took sleeping tablets in order to rest after a playing the dark character.

Toxicology results released in February (08) reported Ledger, 28, was killed by an accidental overdose of prescribed medications.