Heath honoured at European premiere

Updated 10.10 Tue Jul 22 2008

Keywords: Aaron Eckhart, Batman, Joker, Gyllenhaal, Ledger, Maggie, Heath, premiere, The Dark Knight, Europe, Christopher Nolan

The cast and crew of The Dark Knight have been full of admiration for their late co-star Heath Ledger.

He plays Batman's arch-villain The Joker, and has already been tipped for an Academy Award.

The star plays Batman's arch-villain the Joker, and has already been tipped for an Academy Award

He would become the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for Network in 1977.

Director Christopher Nolan said: "He was terrific to work with on set, a very fun presence, a very gentle guy, just loving to be around and an incredible professional. So, it was a joy working with him and I think when people see what he's done they'll be very, very impressed."

Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays Rachel Dawes, added: "Heath was so good in the movie - he was so incredible to work with. Every actor has to find a way to be free in order to be any good, but it's very unusual - even for the most experienced actors - to be completely free in the way he was. When you feel that coming at you it's incredibly exhilarating".

"To watch Heath be The Joker was a big honour for me, " said Aaron Eckert, who stars in the film as Two-Face. "I just held on for dear life."