Here's What Aaron Eckhart Has Been Up To Since 'The Dark Knight'

June 2024 · 5 minute read

Even today, fans best remember Aaron Eckhart for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning film The Dark Knight, arguably the most successful DC film to date (even if it might have been "cursed"). The film may be most remembered for Christian Bale’s performance as Batman and the late Heath Ledger’s take on Joker.

But one can’t deny that Eckhart’s portrayal of Harvey Dent and later on, the menacing Two-Face, was a master class in onscreen transformation.

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Unfortunately, fans didn’t get to see more of Harvey (or Two-Face) in Nolan’s third Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Since then, Eckhart has moved on from DC too. After all, this is a veteran actor who has been booking film roles long before he stepped into Batman’s world. In fact, he even went on to join another major Hollywood film franchise.

Aaron Eckhart Starred In This Rom-Com With A ‘Friends’ Star

After leaving Gotham, Eckhart to star opposite Jennifer Aniston in the romantic comedy Love Happens. In the film, Eckhart plays a widower and best-selling self-help author who falls for a florist played by the Friends star. And for Aniston, it wasn’t really hard to fall for her co-star onscreen.

“He's really gorgeous, he really is and so funny, wickedly funny and he's very interesting,” the actress told CheshireLive. “He's deep, Aaron's deep - he's a thinker - so we just had a ball together. We laughed, I love his sense of humor, I love him talking about philosophy and psychology, he's great.”

Aniston also couldn’t help but gush over Eckhart’s dedication and professionalism while making the movie.

“Aaron is spot on and moves you so much,” the actress gushed. “I found him extremely dedicated and focussed. When you work with a performer like that, you constantly have someone giving you something good to volley with.”

Aaron Eckhart Followed This Up With A Drama With Nicole Kidman

After wrapping up on his rom-com, Eckhart went on to star in the drama Rabbit Hole with Kidman. In the film, they play a couple who have just lost their young child.

And to make sure that his portrayal of grieving parent was as realistic as possible, Eckhart even decided to join a support group, disguised as a grieving parent himself.

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“It's rude. It's very sensitive to go in there, of course it is. I did the research,” Eckhart revealed while speaking on The Howard Stern Show. And even if he was just there for research, the actor did start to feel like he was grieving.

“100 percent, I lost it. You really believe that you just lost a child. You are as close to reality in that sense as possible.”

As for Kidman, the actress came to admire how dedicated Eckhart was to the film. “Aaron brought everything to this,” the Oscar winner told Emanuel Levy. “I loved watching his process, the way he explores all the avenues. He’s so open as an actor, and he’s a dream to be around.”

Later On, Aaron Eckhart Also Played POTUS In This Gerard-Butler Led Franchise

Several years later, Eckhart was tapped to join Butler in the Has Fallen franchise where played U.S. President Benjamin Asher. And while he didn’t do action scenes like his co-star, Eckhart had his own physical challenges to deal with too. And being the kind of actor that he is, Eckhart fully committed to his role once again.

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“As an actor, you want to feel that you’re actually in the circumstances that they put you in. So I had to be up in those cuffs for eight hours a day, or more. I didn’t take them down too often; I didn’t like to take them off,” the actor confessed during an interview with Shock Ya!.

“Pretty soon into the movie, I think I lost feeling in both of my arms. I would go home, and my arms would be numb. I actually had to question the doctor about it.”

Aaron Eckhart Also Starred In This Oscar-Nominated Film

After wrapping up work on two Has Fallen movies (he didn't join the third installment, Angel Has Fallen), Eckhart went on to star alongside Tom Hanks in the Oscar-nominated biopic Sully. In the film, the actor portrayed co-pilot Jeff Skiles while Hanks played titular character.

From the beginning, Eckhart was aware that playing a real-life person came with its own set of challenges. “Playing a real person, if they’re alive, is daunting – because they have to live with the results of your efforts,” the actor told Independent. “Jeff still flies. I want people to come up to Jeff and go, ‘hey, that was an awesome movie’.”

Aside from these films, Eckhart also starred in titles such as I, Frankenstein, The Rum Diary, Battle Los Angeles, Midway, and the sports biopic Bleed for This with Miles Teller.

Meanwhile, fans can expect to see Eckhart in the upcoming Showtime series The First Lady where he will play President Gerald Ford. The show boasts of a powerhouse cast that includes Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Gillian Anderson, Keifer Sutherland, Dakota Fanning, and O-T Fagbenle.

Aside from this, Eckhart has also been attached to at least four other film projects. Among them is the action thriller The Bricklayer with Nina Dobrev.

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