Terry Gilliam interview - resisting the Faustian moment

"But a lot of the guys that have worked with you, I've noticed they have that tendency... they're beautiful actors, physically, like Heath Ledger, but there's a desire on their part to get past that and then to play roles that really challenge that perception of them.

Well, I think Heath didn't have the opportunity to get to get where he attempted...

He was just starting.... because he was fighting the temptation the whole time because he just... I think "Brokeback Mountain" threw him into that part of the stratosphere.
I like what he did in "Lords of Dogtown" too. I think there was some really interesting character stuff there.

Yeah, I mean... he hated all that, what was being put on a plate in front of him. "This is your moment." The Faustian moment, and he was resisting it. And Joker was just a great bit of fun. That's what it was. Just a fly. He was having just a great time doing that.I noticed that Heath said the same thing that Depp said on "Pirates" that they kept expecting to get fired. They kept expecting that the studio would notice what they were doing and say, "Oh no, no, no. We're not making that kind of movie." I think that's one of the reasons those roles are immediately iconic... we are so used to, in commercial films, a certain level of where you'll stop. And those guys insisted on pushing further, and so suddenly you get something that doesn't feel commercial at all. [...]

-Have you been up on the stage yet?

-Not yet. My wife is the celebrity. She writes "Dexter" and the "Twilight" films. The only time I've been to the Academy Awards was when my wife was nominated for "Munchausen" for Best Makeup. That's the only time I went. Hang on to your wife because it works.

-Did she win?

-No. We're losers. Cheers".

Source: www.hitfix.com