Echoing what other friends and co-workers have said about Heath Ledger, Dark Knight star Christian Bale says the late actor was “a joy” to work with.

“You know, I don’t like kind of trivializing the tragedy in conjunction with an interview to do with the movie, which is clearly far less important. But Heath was a joy,” the actor tells Entertainment Weekly. “He really was like that, because he was a very unique man. I enjoyed watching him work, working with him.”

Bale, who plays Batman opposite Ledger’s Joker, says that he appreciated his costar’s professionalism and dedication to the comic book tale.

“What was so great to see with Heath is just how seriously he took it,” says Bale. “And we don’t mean in any way to sound sort of pretentious with that, but just in the fact that if we don’t take it seriously, then how can any audience ever take it seriously? And he did one hell of a job.”

After watching a recent Warner Bros. presentation with clips from the film, which hits theater July 18, Bale added, “It gave me goose bumps throughout, looking at Heath up there. And I just hope that this can celebrate him, celebrate his work.”

WENN