Heath Ledger 1979 - 2008
Andrea Hubert on the loss of the talented young actor.
By now, everyone will have their own theory as to why Heath Ledger died a week ago today. Google his name, and you'll find anything from Australian celebrities lamenting his passing, to Holy Moly mailouts telling you just how many drugs they did or didn't find in his system, to a vitriolic statement from everybody's favourite Christians, the Westboro Baptist Church, that suggests "God struck him down because He hates the sordid, tacky, bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain"
By and large, the press have been kind to Ledger, despite the shadow his death has cast across his mental state (which usually, in the cases of recent casualties of 'stress' like Winehouse and Spears has journalists attacking like rottweilers in a kindergarten). If there were two words to explain this uncharacteristic benevolence, they would probably be these - Brokeback Mountain.
Many felt the talented Ledger was robbed of an Oscar for his role as cash-strapped cowboy Ennis Del Mar, in Ang Lee's heartbreaking love story that charted the destruction of two men whose lives are ruined by social rules and class divides. It was literally the performance of a lifetime (one sadly denigrated by our natural inclination to soundbite as "that gay cowboy movie") and a courageous move for an actor whose breakout box office triumph had been as the hunky hetero hero in teen comedy Ten Things I Hate About You. And a subsequent string of riskier roles in films like Monster's Ball and I'm Not There suggested that the best was yet to come.
Arguably, even greater a risk than playing it gay, was his latest and last endeavour; taking on the role of the Joker in upcoming Batman film The Dark Knight. To don the cloak of, as Ledger bleakly described him, "a psychopath, mass murdering schizophrenic clown with zero empathy" with the same dedication he gave to Brokeback Mountain, would push the buttons of any sensitive actor, but anyone with the guts to follow Jack Nicholson's legendary lead is, quite literally, half psychotic already. Nicholson, speaking after hearing of Ledger's death, said simply "Well...I warned him". It isn't much to go on, but coupled with Ledger's admission of no sleep and constant stress from the role, shows that a little method acting goes a very long way.
Here is what we know about Ledger. He hated fame. He loathed interviews, and he particularly loathed talking about himself. Resolutely private, and unimpressed by either the Hollywood machine or his own hype, the only thing he liked about the cruel reality of the film industry was the acting itself. With that kind of dedication, is it any wonder it managed to get into his psyche? Coupled with an insecurity that led him to remark, "I wish I could do everything I'd done again", Ledger really did appear to be that old cliché - too good for this world. Or at least too good for the world acting forced him to live in.
Losing talent is always considered a greater tragedy than the death of mediocrity, or the death of those who deliberately self destruct. By the kindest accounts out there, it seems that Heath Ledger's destruction began when his surroundings started to implode and he just couldn't get any sleep. What a terrible waste that a few too many sleeping pills to block out the din of an increasingly noisy world should result in the loss of a generation's bravest actor.
Published: 28/01/2008
