Gary Oldman's intense co-stars

(BANG) - Christian Bale is more "intense" than the late Heath Ledger.

Reports have focussed on the Australian actor's brooding persona during filming of 'A Dark Knight', but according to co-star Gary Oldman, Christian - who plays Batman - is actually a darker person.

The 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' star told Parade.com: "Want to hear something funny? Christian Bale is darker than Heath. I know that sounds kind of weird but Christian very much keeps to himself. He's sort of quietly intense.

"My experience with Heath was very different. Between takes, he very much wanted to laugh and kid around. I know that's not what people expect to hear. I think they're probably looking for a darker story. You know, like he was so contaminated by playing The Joker that he couldn't sleep and all that stuff. But I didn't see any of that."

Despite building a reputation for playing eccentric characters, Gary insists he was content with playing detective James Gordon alongside Heath.

He added: "I did have a knack for playing weirdos. There's still sort of this perception of me out there as being this crazy guy. But it's been good to get away from that doing roles like Beethoven and Sirius Black in 'Harry Potter'. I was happy to leave it to Heath."

'A Dark Knight' is released in cinemas later this month.

(C) BANG Media International