The same role that won Heath Ledger an Oscar and an MTV Movie Award, in addition to cementing his place in cinema history, may also have been one that he didn’t want, according to a new report citing sources close to the deceased actor. Ledger’s mysterious health afflictions leading up to his death still raise numerous unanswered questions, and his role as The Joker opposite Batman in “The Dark Knight” is testament enough to Ledger’s intense emotional capacity during his final days. But his haunting performance may also have evidenced his desire to get out of the film altogether.

“He was ready to bust out of the gate,” Ledger’s friend and agent, Steven Alexander told Vanity Fair, “but he didn’t want to step on the gas and become something that he didn’t want to become: a matinee idol.”

The new article suggests that Ledger’s “pay-or-play” contract for the part of The Joker gave him nearly unlimited freedom to define the role, but that Ledger may have pushed that freedom to its limits in an attempt to be kicked out of the film since he would receive compensation either way.

“He was afraid [starring in a summer blockbuster] would define him and limit his choices,” Alexander said, citing Ledger’s disdain for “the dolls and action figures and everything else that comes with one of those movies.”

[Source] MTV