Q: You heal well...

AARON: Yes, well, I have a good surgeon. [LAUGHS]

Q: Aaron, how much time did it take to get that prosthetic on you and time spent in the make-up chair everyday?

AARON: Um, like in minutes and seconds? [CHUCKLES]

Q: Well, was it a long drawn-out process or was it CG and you didn’t really have to do that?

AARON: I’ll say this. I say this to everybody: I kind of rather not talk about that because I feel it is such a great thing for the audience to come there with no preconceived ideas of what it is or how it was it done.

Q: How about more about the character evolution and how you worked through that and how you went from being a [fighting or inciting] example by maybe somebody that is less conflicted about justice and somebody that is much more conflicted… because that’s really powerful.

AARON: Well, it’s interesting, there are so many dynamics going on in this movie. I really don’t know where to begin to start with that because the relationships of justice and crime-fighting in Gotham City and the love a woman. Where we stand in all those… and one man who is not afraid to take on the cancer that is killing the city. People are afraid to walk the streets. You know, no one’s going to work. The whole city is paralyzed with fear. And who’s going to stand up? And it was interesting to play the character that would, it was fun I have to say.

[For my character] To hold those press conferences, ah, and to, um, you know, kind of go into court with all those criminals… it gave you a sense of what it would feel like if you were actually doing that. People pinning their hopes on you, and you know, I liked playing Harvey Dent for those reasons. I liked how Harvey felt about Batman, because we’re both crime-fighters. But we both do it in different ways. One is inside the law, one’s outside the law. One has tools and the other one doesn’t… you know, the secrecy… you know it’s fascinating with Lieutenant Gordon in-between.

Q: How is the story crossed with our contemporary times?

AARON: There’s a lot of those issues that are going on today in our world. Decisions that have to be made and people are who standing up and are unpopular for those decisions. The issue, of uh, people in the boat – choosing whether or not they are going to kill themselves or other people. When I was watching this movie I found myself as an audience member going, ‘WHOA! LIKE YEA!!’ It’s a heavy movie in a lot of ways.

Q: How about the evolution of your character?

AARON: When Harvey “Two-Face” makes his transformation all bets are off, because there’s nothing greater and, I think, more profound than love. This intense love was taken, ripped away from you unjustly. I think the whole game is changed, you know? And, um, it’s interesting that the Joker… The difference between Joker and Two Face, is that Joker seemingly, nihilistically, is a puppet of anarchy. He is without rhyme and reason doing this… you know, Two Face is killing for a reason. He still has a sense of justice of, very wide streak of justice inside of him and he has taken things into his own hands. So, I think it’s a little different… but it’s still bad.

Q: Aaron, in your personal first read-through of the script at one point did it make the impression to you that, ‘Wow, this something special. This is beyond a typical comic book movie?’

AARON: That’s a good question. I went to Chris’ office and had a cup of tea with him. And then he said, ‘Well, I’d like you to read the script.’ And then I say, ‘Well, where is it?’ And he says, ‘Somebody will bring it to you.’ And so they did. And so they waited outside my house in my driveway. And, um, I read it one day. Now I’ll preface that by saying I knew that the Joker was in the movie. And I knew Heath [Ledger] was playing the Joker. And so I thought, okay it’s the Joker’s movie. And I started reading the script, and I was like, ‘Wow. HARVEY. DENT. Great, wow!’ You know, he does this and he kept on going and Harvey was such a great character. He did all these things. He was involved with Rachel Dawes, and with Bruce Wayne, and with Batman. And I was like inside my house [SELF-APPLAUSE CLAPPING] going, ‘Yeah, this is great!’

Q: It’s also about professional corruption and comprise as a D.A. is it not?

AARON: Yeah I was an internal affairs guy. So all this juicy stuff, I was very excited. I frankly could not believe that I was going to do it. In fact, I didn’t have the movie at that time. So I read it and I called up to Chris [Nolan] and said, ‘Hey man, this is a pretty good script.’ And he goes, ‘Yeah.’ Well then I go, ‘Well, are you going to let me do it?!’ [LAUGHS] And he goes, ‘Yeah, will you be Harvey Dent.’ I said absolutely. Um, absolutely thrilled. Could not believe how dense and complex… the thing that struck me right away was the contemporary issues, the mirrors of our times. The things he was tackling. And although they weren’t outright comparisons he got everything in there, I thought. Um, and I think why this movie will work on another level and be important to people either sub-consciously or consciously, I’m not sure which one. But they’ll appreciate this movie as more than just a comic book movie.

Q: This movie is totally ahead of the audience. It doesn’t go through any of the clichés or the predictable routines of a typical screenplay. You don’t become Two-Face until later – after your character is thoroughly established – You must be thinking, ‘Wow, Harvey Dent is a very complex character.’ This is quite different, wouldn’t you say?

AARON: It takes a lot of guts for Chris [Nolan] to do that, really, and then – that was all in the script – and then to put that all on the screen. I mean everything that we shot, basically, except for you know cuts here and there, is on that screen. I mean, it’s the script that he wrote. Which in today’s filmmaking [environment], is in by my experience, is insane. Um yeah, I really liked the fact that the audience could get to know Harvey. Could fall in love with Harvey or get to understand him so that when he becomes Two-Face – and makes that transformation – then you will know why or could understand why… when that’s ripped from him in the way that it is, I think the audience can go ‘Okay, I can understand.’

That’s why I wouldn’t call Harvey an out-and-out villain in this movie. I think the Joker is a little different although he does have a heart because I’ll tell you why with my hypothesis here: Why would the Joker comment so many times on his face if that didn’t come from a very deep place of hurt. He might be lying about it, you know. But he’s trying to explain. He’s trying to find an audience. Just like Batman finds an audience with Alfred. You know, self-examination and moments of self-doubt. Like Harvey does with Rachel. Everybody needs a sounding board in this movie. And that’s what’s special in this movie, too, there are moments of quiet and silence in reflection. My favorite part of the movie is when Alfred tells the story and in a moment of self-doubt Bruce Wayne he goes, ‘Alfred, what happened to such-and-such?’ And Alfred’s response to that, I think you guys know what I’m talking about. That just hit me like a ton of bricks. Delivered so perfectly by Michael Caine.

Q: One of my favorite scenes in the movie is the scene in the hospital. That was a lot of fun. Can you talk about working with Heath?

AARON: Yeah, love to. I just had great time with Heath. I don’t know Heath that well. But I really cherished my time that I had with him to work, and be in the make-up trailer with Heath while he was discovering his face and me discovering my face. And listening to him, and getting into character, and whistling and all this other kind of stuff. You know, that was fun. I was getting into my character and looking at him and going ‘Okay, you know, what am I going to do with my face?’ Because he created his look, you know, that is, that character Heath loved so much. You know, he really cared about the Joker. And wanted to work on the Joker. And so, we hadn’t rehearsed that scene in the hospital. But, um, I didn’t know what to expect that day but I knew Heath was doing some amazing work. And I worked with him a little in the movie but I was excited about it. I didn’t really have that much to do that day in the bed. I just sort of sat there, and Heath did his thing, you know? Once he started doing his thing, I was an actor in the scene but I was a fan. I was looking at him and going, ‘Wow dude! That’s pretty good!! That’s pretty good stuff!!

Q: He didn’t stay in character did he [off-camera]?

AARON: Yeah, ah, yeah sure. I think he had to because he was so close to it what he was doing was so special and that energy is so – as an actor when you get that energy you want to keep it close to you because otherwise you’re going to have dips in energy like this and it’s hard to get it back to that level. So you, during the day keep it really close to you. So you can always access it.

Q: Do you think it was hard for Heath to leave it behind on the set?

AARON: No, mm-mm. No I don’t. I’ll just finish my story with that… We’re doing it, and uh, I say, ‘Okay, man. I’m going to this. Heath, you do this. Put your hand… do this!’ We started working together and we came up with an energy there and the crew was electrified by Heath. And doesn’t always happen. Crews are usually blasé about the moviemaking process but not with Heath. They wanted to be a part of it, they wanted to see what he was doing. I remember after that day was done Heath and I, really tired, I said ‘That’s why I’m an actor.’ Because to work with guys like Heath – because Heath was the consummate actor. To answer your question: No. This was a movie [set] where kids were all around. Everybody was talking about kids. Everybody was showing pictures of their kids. I was the only one in the trailer that didn’t have kids. [LAUGHS] You know, uh, Heath showed me pictures and talked about it and would come in say she [Heath’s daughter] did this and she did that and Maggie [Gyllenhaal] just had her child. Gary [Oldman] has two kids. Chris [Nolan] just had a kid during the movie.

Q: The movie’s intense, though, so how do you keep it light?

AARON: But yeah, you can’t keep it intense for seven months [of shooting]. You just can’t do it. You love your character and everything. If Chris [Nolan] were as intense as the movie for seven months he would be in a sanitarium, you know what I mean?

Q: What did you guys do when you weren’t working?

AARON: We’d talk about kids! We’d do crossword puzzles. We played music. We did people do, you know? Let’s not forget it’s a movie. I know everybody wants to know that about Heath and I don’t really have the answers. But I will say that Heath and I talked about photography, we both loved photography. I know Heath was making music videos, and you know uh, it’s an honor to have worked with him and for him, I love talking about him in this movie because he’s so wonderful.

Q: What was your reaction when you first saw yourself as Two-Face?

AARON: Well I thought Chris [Nolan] took his time in revealing Two-Face.

Q: But what did you think of it?

AARON: Oh, uh, I was quite impressed with it. Chris [Nolan] showed me a sculpture of Two-Face and what he thought he looked like and what we’d be working on. And it was just beautiful. What I did like is the fact that Chris, we didn’t go over-the-top with it. I mean, yes, we have this and that, but it wasn’t cartoonish in my opinion. It was pretty, I know it’s going to sound weird but, it’s pretty subtle. Um, I thought, it went along with the other people in the movie. You know, what the Joker what he looked like and what he was doing. And let’s not forget Batman has a suit on and all that, so we were in the ballpark. And that was my main. My main desire was to keep it in the ballpark.

Q: Did you have any input to any of the costuming?

AARON: Oh yeah. You know, you obviously want it to be accurate for the fans. I thought that was very important to me in terms of the suit. And in terms of let’s say, the input what I had, was what I did with my face. [Mimicking] Slobber and how comic I went with it. And Chris just said, ‘No just do it straight.’ You got other things to worry about instead of keeping your spit in your mouth. Um, I thought that was good for me. You know, I appreciated it. Just keep it kind of real.

"The Dark Knight" opens in theaters July 18th.