Seventeen years ago, Heath Ledger’s sudden death in January 2008 shook the world. At just 28 years old, the actor was soon seen in an unforgettable performance as the maniacal criminal Joker in The Dark Knight. However, Christopher Nolan’s Batman flick wasn’t his final project.
While his outlandish turn as Joker deservingly earned him a posthumous Academy Award, Ledger was also in the middle of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, a fantasy drama co-starring Andrew Garfield. To complete the shooting after Ledger’s passing, not one but three actors — Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell — came on board to actualize the Australian actor’s last work.
In a powerful gesture of generosity, the trio of English, Irish, and American actors donated their entire earnings from the film to Ledger’s and Michelle Williams’ 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, ensuring she would…