According to a new article in Vanity Fair, Heath Ledger was very concerned about being part of a “summer blockbuster” film, thought it would limit his roles in the future, and even tried to get fired from the project.

Here is an excerpt from the article, titled “The Last of Heath.”

“Ledger’s friend and agent, Steven Alexander, tells [Vanity Fair] that Heath ‘was always hesitant to be in a summer blockbuster, with the dolls and action figures and everything else that comes with one of those movies. He was afraid it would define him and limit his choices.’ According to friends of Ledger’s, one of the reasons he agreed to do Dark Knight was that the unusually long shoot would give him an excuse to turn down other offers.”

According to the article, Ledger had a deal that guaranteed him payment no matter what he did, so he actually decided to play the Joker so extreme that he thought it would get him fired.

“Ledger hoped his performance would be so far-out he’d be fired, and thus become the beneficiary of a lengthy, paid vacation.