Ledger was already a massive hit with cinemagoers after had taken the lead role in Disney’s 10 Things I Hate About You just four years prior.

Two years after that Ledger had starred in the iconic A Knight’s Tale from Sony, which grossed $117 million.

Not getting the role in Pirates of the Caribbean may have been a blessing in disguise for Ledger, however.

If the star had been contracted into three films, like Bloom was, he may not have been able to play the Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight opposite Christian Bale.