And Jim Carrey, as essentially the second lead in the film, received a payment of eight million dollars.
Even then, Jim Carrey had to lower his fee to receive that amount.
Currently, in the outside world, Jim Carrey's comedic abilities have gained recognition from everyone.
The success of movies like Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Mask made him greatly beloved by the American people.
To put it simply, as long as Jim Carrey continues to portray comedy, every film studio is willing to offer him a minimum fee of fifteen million dollars.
In the realm of comedy movies alone, he is already a well-deserved superstar.
Of course, playing the role of the Joker, an antagonist in Batman, doesn't count as a downgrade either.
Unlike Tom Cruise, who dominates a series of films, Jim Carrey is more like a franchise star, similar to the later Jack Sparrow portrayed by Johnny Depp.
For instance, as long as Johnny Depp films Pirates of the Caribbean, he is an undisputed superstar.
But if he were to leave the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, he might have to take a significant pay cut, receiving treatment similar to that of a regular A-list star.
The same logic applies to Jim Carrey. If he portrays comedy, he is met with superstar-level treatment.
It is said that Warner Bros. is willing to spend $20 million to hire him for the sequel of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
And Jim Carrey has already agreed to it.
However, due to his love for the character of the Joker, the specific filming has been pushed to next year.
Faced with this situation, Warner Bros. is also helpless. Whether it's Ace Ventura or Batman, they are their own properties.
Moreover, Ace Ventura is a series that cannot be recast.
Helplessly, they can only wait for Jim Carrey to finish filming Batman before resuming the production of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
From this perspective, Christian Bale is well aware of his own identity.
He is still just a small actor who needs to put in more effort within the film crew.
At the same time, his physical transformation is not yet complete, and he sacrifices sleep time daily to sculpt his body.
Kevin didn't pay attention to the comparison of status among the actors on set.
As long as it didn't affect the filming of the movie, he could completely ignore it. Of course, even if it affected the filming, he wouldn't hesitate to speak up, even if it was the leading actress, Milla Jovovich.
On set, he was the king who controlled everything.
Even as a superstar, with his current status, he could afford to offend others.
"Action!"
With a command, the film crew immediately began filming.
The camera and lighting were all in place, and Kevin observed the world beneath the lens through the camera.
Under the lens, the real-world New York transformed into the crime-ridden Gotham City.
The dark and deep tones, the gloomy atmosphere as if it could rain at any moment, all indicated the dark nature of this film.
Under the lens, the Dark Knight Batman was engaged in a battle of ideologies with the Joker.
The Joker was expressing his chaotic thoughts, trying to make Batman abandon his principles and become like him.
Yes, there was a special setting throughout the film.
Batman was a Joker with limits, and the Joker was Batman who had abandoned his limits.
They were two sides of the same coin, special beings.
It was because of this realization that the Joker felt a connection and wanted Batman to completely abandon his limits and become like him.
He was willing to pay the price of his own death for it.
Compared to the Joker portrayed in the comics, The Dark Knight elevated the character of the Joker countless times.
Kevin could already imagine that in the future, the Joker's character in DC comics would likely be portrayed following Jim Carrey's template after the release of The Dark Knight.
Just like how the comic book character Iron Man started resembling Robert Downey Jr. more after the Iron Man movies were released, or how in the world of martial arts, the comic book character Xiao Bie became more and more like Yuen Biao after the TV drama and movies became popular. It was the same principle.
It could only be said that the roles played by actors had deeply resonated with people.
Coupled with the success of the film at the box office and the influence it brought, it compelled the comic books to be revised.
Only then did people express their amazement that the actors seemed to have stepped out of the comics.
Kevin's portrayal of the Joker, with his unbeatable facial control, just a slight twitch of the skin on his face, combined with the scars on both corners of his mouth, instantly created a terrifying smile.
Looking down at Batman standing high above, he grinned and said, "You are me, and I am you..."
This storyline, under Jim Carrey's portrayal, was absolutely flawless, satisfying Kevin immensely.
This was a more perfect depiction of the Joker compared to Heath Ledger's.
However, what Kevin referred to here wasn't solely acting skills.
It was his inherent talent, the control Jim Carrey had over facial expressions, which couldn't be easily learned.
Heath Ledger still needed to apply heavy white makeup to enhance that eerie feeling.
But in Kevin's opinion, that makeup gave him an inexplicable sense of being out of character.
With Jim Carrey, just a small embellishment was enough. Regardless of who saw Jim Carrey's performance on the Batman set, they wouldn't simply consider him a comedian.
It was a performance that deserved an Oscar.
However...
Kevin furrowed his brow as he watched the interaction between the two actors.
Under Jim Carrey's overpowering aura, Christian Bale's Batman completely lost his dominance.
This was something Kevin hadn't anticipated.
At this moment, Christian Bale was indeed still too young, far from being able to match Jim Carrey.
Of course, there was a way to overcome this.
Batman's mask was, in fact, the best cover.
When Kevin filmed this movie, in order to enhance Batman's allure, he made a significant concession regarding the obscuring of Batman's face.
Considering the commercial perspective, the facial coverage was minimized as much as possible.
The intention was to allow the audience to observe Batman's appearance more through the mask, which had minimal obstructions.
In simple terms, it was about selling his face.
Christian Bale being able to win the "Most Popular Batman" award, surpassing the first actor who played Batman, was enough to demonstrate the recognition of his appearance by the audience.
Even though it might not align with the comics, the audience just liked it.
Sometimes, this was the compromise between the art of filmmaking and reality.
However, Kevin would only give Christian Bale three chances at most.
After three chances, if Christian Bale still couldn't find his rhythm, then don't blame Kevin for providing him with a mask that only revealed his lips and eyes.
"Take it from the top!"
Jim Carrey was fully immersed in his performance, only to be suddenly taken aback when he heard Kevin's words.