Jacob Elordi: How Heath Ledger's Joker Inspired His Acting Career

Jacob Elordi has opened up about how seeing Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight inspired him to pursue a career in acting. The revelation was made during an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, where the pair spoke in depth about their professional experiences and early influences.

During the interview, Gwyneth Paltrow questioned Jacob Elordi about the figure who made him decide to pursue a career in Hollywood. Elordi explained that he was always expressive growing up.

He recounted, “I was quite loud as a kid, which is every actor’s thing. They didn’t know what to do with me.”

He recalled his school teacher, Mrs. McMahon, who gave him his first opportunity on stage, starring as the Cat in a production of The Cat in the Hat. He described the experience of performing in the musical: “I was singing and dancing, I had the big hat on, and I knew that that was what I wanted to do.”

Elordi then elaborated on the inspiration that cemented his decision, referring to Heath Ledger: “And I knew him from A Knight’s Tale and all these things that I had grown up watching. And I think that when I was about 12, I realized he was from Australia.”

“Then the cog started turning that this could be a viable thing for me to do. And it was something that I could do. And from that point it just became an obsession,” Elordi continued.