So, I am obsessed with performance screentimes. Simple as that. Haha. I was curious about what many said about Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" - some saying Ledger is practically lead - covering almost 45 to an hour of the film - some saying he was supporting and only in it for about 15 or 20. Well... I did my studying thanks to my precious DVD of "The Dark Knight" along with Windows Movie Maker to disect Ledger's performance and find out the REAL screentime of his performance.

And I really can't believe how short it is.

Running Time: 19 minutes, 32 seconds
Percentage: 12.8%

Facts:
Ledger only appears (both visually and verbally) in the film for only 19 minutes and 32 seconds out of the film's epic 153 minute running time, meaning his screentime covers a small 12.8% of the film. What's interesting is that Ledger only has approx. fifteen scenes, and in these fifteen scenes there are three that stand out. One being the interrogation scene (starting from where Ledger is seen in the cage, to where he is seen with his head out the police car) which he has a screentime of 4 minutes and 52 seconds. Another being the one in which he crashes the dinner party: 2 minutes and 14 seconds. And then there is the scene in the hospital with Eckhart which has Ledger clocking in at 2 minutes and 3 seconds of screentime. These scenes are interesting to note in that they are all over two minutes of screentime, while every other scene is less that that. Eight (yes, eight!) of those remaining scenes being 1 minute or less of screentime, the lowest being the scene where Joker shoots Gordon, in which Ledger appears for 6 seconds.

Another fun fact is that those three longest scenes are the most well known and well loved of the film, and Ledger's moments of showing his greatest acting capabilities. What's interesting is that removing these three scenes, has Ledger's screentime clocking in at about 10 minutes and 22 seconds, which is only a couple minutes away from touching the screentime of Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road. (Pointless fact, but I found it interesting. )

My Thoughts:
I am shocked actually, since when I first saw the film, I felt Ledger had just as much screentime as Bale and Eckhart. Well, of course - I was very wrong. It's the definition of a fantastic supporting role, where an actor does an amazing job bringing a small role to exceptionally scary heights to where it seems larger than it really is. Ledger certainly deserves all the supporting wins he's been getting.

Thoughts on my observing?

while i appreciate your effort and work, and this is pretty informative because it definitely seemed like he had more screen time but anyways. i have to disagree with your choice of the three most loved scenes with his best acting. the scene where he truly shines and shows how capable the joker actually is behind all the theatrics and make-up is the meeting with the leaders of organized crime syndicates that he crashes. it's phenomenal, really watch it again and tell me that it's not his best. the difference is, it is not his showiest moments of acting. there's some really subtle facial work that might go under people's radar, particularly when he is called crazy and says he is not. also i`m curious as to how long he's on screen for that scene because it didn't seem very long and had the most impact on me personally. am i all alone in loving his work in that scene?

I loved all of Joker's scenes. He stood out in all of them, but if I had to choose the top three, it would be the one your referring to sativajosh, the interrogation scene, and the scene in which he tells Gambol a story about his scars (I don't know about you, but I got chills). But in all, he was great and it is why he should and will win. And The Joker's role is truly a supporting one and I always disagreed with those who called it a leading performance back when the film was released.

I'm not saying that these scenes are his best in everyone's taste, I mean obviously, as you have concluded with your opinion. But on other websites and many other places, these three are the ones that are always pointed out.

Also, I'm also singling those scenes out because, well, they are Ledger's longest in the film. As stated, every other scene of his is shorter that two minutes except for them three.

I'm really glad this was posted. It literally proves how powerful his performance was. He was the one thing everyone noticed most about the film, and he was only in 19 minutes of a 2.5 hour film! wow! it justifies his nomination and more than hopeful win completely.

the same scenario occured with anthony hopkins in silence of the lambs. he was on screen for only 16 minutes and went on to win a best actor award. simply put, psychopaths win oscars!

Douglas I am always a tad confused by people's interpretations of screentime, when you say verbal and visual? You mean the scenes he is in cover 19 minutes?

Definition of Screentime: "Time that is allocated for a television/film program or for each of its participants to be seen or heard on the screen."

When it comes to the term "screentime", most get confused thinking that means what scenes the actor is shown in. However, in reality, screentime really means when the actor is shown or heard during the scene, and not the entire scene itself.

Ah okay...while that may be the definition I disagree because an actor is still always present and still acting in the scene whether or not they are being seen or heard. In my opinion of an actor is in the presence of the camera that should be consdered screentime thats jsut my opinion...making Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs for 38 minutes...not 16 or w/e it is...

I agree. When an actor is acting, he or she is acting. A great example is the bank robbery scene in the beginning. That's Heath under that mask the whole time and it should be counted and recognized, regardless if one doesn't hear him or even see him for an amount of time. I think Ledger has more time in the film, not by alot though.

I timed the opening scene, when he is shown. An actor doesn't have to show their face to get screentime credit, but also a hand, the back of their head, shoulder, foot, etc. He appears at about 1 minute, 40 seconds if my min remembers correctly. It was a scene more than 1 minute, but less that 2.

Wasn't that approximately Anthony Hopkins' time for Silence of the Lambs? And he won for LEAD! 19 minutes is plenty for a supporting actor.