I don't want to atomize a dead horse. But I think that this old story that I discovered recently is worth posting, especially because people have discussed Nicholson's ties to Ledger lately.

By the way, he clarified that when he said, "I warned him," he referred to Ledger's use of Ambien.

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"I’m furious,” Nicholson whispered to me last week when I asked him point blank how he felt about Ledger assuming the role.

Clearly the passage of time hasn’t mellowed Jack one bit when it comes to the Joker. His voice rose as he said, “They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me.” For Nicholson the part of the Joker was an important one. “The Joker comes from my childhood,” he explained. “That’s how I got involved with it in the first place. It’s a part I always thought I should play.”