The inclusion of Heath Ledger’s Joker in the Christopher Nolan Batman universe was one that shocked fans and showed us all the power that Ledger had. Sadly, The Dark Knight was one of the last times we’d see the powerhouse perform. He passed away in January of 2008, 7 months prior to the release of the film. But his legacy has lived on, and in a new interview, Christian Bale talked a lot about Ledger’s performance and how proud he was of the film.

Talking with GQ, Bale broke down his most “iconic” characters (yes, he also talked about Patrick Bateman, so my American Psycho loving heart is very happy), and in doing so, he talked about how, as they were filming The Dark Knight, he talked to Christopher Nolan about how good Ledger was. It is no surprise that I love a Christian Bale film, but it is also so emotional seeing how much Bale praised Ledger’s work. And that has been the tune of everyone who worked on that film for years. They all knew there was something special there in his performance as it was happening.