Washington (ANI): Heath Ledger's co-stars have also started backing the late actor for a posthumous Oscar for his role in The Dark Knight. The Aussie actor's Batman co-stars have predicted that Ledger's portrayal of Joker would definitely get him an academy award next year. "A lot of people talk about awards all the time, and it's early days. But if anybody deserves it, of course, it is Heath in this," Contactmusic quoted Christian Bale, as saying.

"I do think that Heath has created an iconic villain that will stand for the ages, and of course, I would love to see him get an award. But you know, to me, you can witness his talent, celebrate his talent within this movie. Anything else is gravy. "Heath has done a phenomenal enough job that I would not be surprised (if he won)," he added.

Co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal also believes that Ledger's Joker is worth an Oscar. "He hit it in the entire performance (in Batman). "It's so difficult to do that in a huge movie like this and much easier to do in the tiny movies. That's why those are always the people who win Academy Awards," Gyllenhaal told MTV. "Heath was (amazing); it's so unusual, and it happens really rarely even for the best actors, that you just hit this stride in a role and you're totally free.

"And when that happens, you can do no wrong. It's incredible to be around, and that's what it was like with him," she added. Co-star Gary Oldman also echoes the same. "I think it's an incredible performance. I think it sets a new benchmark. It would surprise me if he didn't get a posthumous Oscar for it," he said.