HEATH LEDGER
I received a surprising number of emails, calls and IM’s about Heath Ledger’s death immediately after the news broke early this afternoon. I suppose that as someone who writes about the entertainment industry, people might be interested in my response. But I do not usually address celebrity life or gossip, and I try not to fuel general speculation (at least on paper, here in this space). However, tonight I feel compelled to talk about Heath Ledger. Very compelled.
There have been very few public figures in my lifetime whose deaths have affected me to the point of actual tears. River Phoenix and Princess Diana were the only two, until now. Look, we are all strongly influenced by people that we know and don’t know for a variety of reasons and at different stages in our lives.
Rather than discuss the details surrounding Ledger’s death earlier today, as hundreds of other media outlets and pop culture blogs are right now, I have decided to focus on how I’d like to remember him. Just like above. Brokeback Mountain is one of my favorite films of all time, and that photo is perfect. It represents one of the only moments of levity that his character experiences throughout the entire movie, and also captures that time in Ledger’s own life when his star was on the rise.
I haven’t seen the recently released I’m Not There, in which Ledger is one of six actors who represent the stages of Bob Dylan’s life (Cate Blanchett was just nominated for her version). But here are my top Heath Ledger films, in order:
- The groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain, as Jake Gyllenhaal’s tormented, closeted cowboy
- The guilty pleasure teen movie 10 Things I Hate About You, with Julia Stiles
- The 70′s skateboarding docu-drama Lords of Dogtown, with Emile Hirsch
- The gritty Monster’s Ball, as Billy Bob Thornton’s son
Heath Ledger was a very talented man, and he was also a son, a brother and a father. His death at age 28 was premature and shocking. He seemed to respect his craft and his body work reflects a great career. I will always appreciate his brave choices on the big screen, as well as his desire to retain privacy in a world where uninvited paparazzi inevitably accompany the spotlight.