In His Own Words: A Tribute to Heath Ledger
by Reg Seeton

When tragedy strikes, it's often hard to find answers to life's organic mysteries. Sometimes the unexpected comes so sudden that answers don't surface until days, weeks, or years later. In some cases, there are no answers when tragedy knocks at our door. On Tuesday, January 22, 2008, the sudden death of 28 year old Australian born actor Heath Ledger came out of nowhere, leaving a legion of loyal fans stunned beyond belief and the Hollywood community shocked beyond words. Sadly, out of nowhere, Ledger was found dead in his Lower Manhattan apartment. One day later, it's one of those untimely moments that forces everyone pause and reflect on the reality of life that exists well beyond the facade of celebrity.

After his notable role as Gabriel Martin alongside Mel Gibson in Roland Emmerich's The Patriot in 2000, Heath Ledger steadily rose through the Hollywood ranks to become one of the most respected and quiet young stars in the acting world. Although it was unclear in 2001 where Heath Ledger's newfound star power would take him after starring in A Knight's Tale, it was a near certainty that we'd be seeing a lot more of the young actor after his supporting role in Marc Forster's Oscar winning Monster's Ball. By 2005, after a variety of diverse roles in such films as Ned Kelly, The Order, Lords of Dogtown, and The Brothers Grimm, Ledger was already one of Hollywood's young elite. That same year, in what is arguably now the benchmark of his career, Ledger earned his first Oscar nomination for his gripping role as gay cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Ang Lee's unforgettable Brokeback Mountain.

Although Heath Ledger may be gone, and certainly won't be forgotten, fans will still get to see the actor one more time in 2008 when Christopher Nolan's Batman film The Dark Knight hits theaters in June in which Ledger picks up where Jack Nicholson left off in the famous role of The Joker.

After learning of Ledger's death, we reached into The Deadbolt vaults to find two older interviews with Heath Ledger, who talked to the press back in 2004 for his self-titled role as Australian folk hero Ned Kelly and 2005 for his landmark role in Brokeback Mountain alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.

Instead of spending countless unnecessary hours listening to the mainstream media speculate on the events surrounding Heath Ledger's death, we'd rather pay tribute to Heath Ledger by giving fans insight into the man in his own words.

NED KELLY INTERVIEW - 2004

Heath Ledger on the legend of Ned Kelly:

"Well, I knew enough about him, obviously from school and growing up in Australia. He’s one of our few kind of iconic figures in history, so I knew all the basics on his life. And I knew the obvious tales of him wrapping himself up in lead and taking on 150 police. I knew that heroic version of his tale. But I didn’t - I guess I never fully understood to what extent he was a victim, a victim of circumstance, a victim of society, you could say. That wasn’t too clear to me, certainly wasn’t taught to us. That was what I had to read up on and discover for myself."

Ledger on imagining going up against Ned Kelly as a kid and winning the fight:

"I didn’t seriously play Ned Kelly every day of my life as a kid, so I can’t honestly recall whether I won or not. You know, we aren’t that curious with Westerns and cowboys and Indians. I didn’t really run around with toy guns that much as a kid. But I think if I was playing, Ned Kelly he would most definitely win in a play fight."

On working with Orlando Bloom, their camaraderie, and the rest of the cast:

"Yes, we did have camaraderie. It was great to work with such eye candy. No, they were really, really, really great guys to work with and, apart from Orlando, there was Lawrence Kimlen and Phillip Antony and Kerry Condon. We were surrounded by some very good, young actors and, yeah, we became a gang of such, as you do."

Ledger on trying to balance an acting career and spending time with family and friends:

"Well, my general attitude has usually been [to] kick back, stay on the couch and don’t leave the house, because I’m lazy. But this year I’m - it’s going to be quite the diverse year. I mean, coming straight off working with Terry Gilliam on The Brothers Grimm, I’m now going into - I’m playing surf legend and surf shop owner, Skip Emblem in Lords of Dogtown with Catherine Hardwick, and Brokeback Mountain with Ang Lee. And then I’m doing Casanova with Lasse Hallstrom, and then playing a heroine addict in Australia in Candy, and so I’ve jammed this year. It’s a pretty diverse year. It’s a year that is full of fear for me. It’s a very scary one, a good one."

Ledger on the psychological toll of switching from a vibrant character in such a short amount of time:

"I think that it has to do with allowing yourself enough preparation time before all of it. Like right now and the next four weeks before I start... So basically that’s what I’m doing right now, in the four weeks before I go off to do the four jobs, is I’m kind of studying all four of them right now and preparing myself for all four of them so I can then forget about three, go do one, and then pick up where I left off on the next one. I don’t know. It’s about reflex and trusting. And, also, if I choose to do the role, I generally like to make sure that I can do it from the first time I read it. I like to know that I somewhat have a plan, anyway. I don’t like to just be going, ‘Oh, I’ll figure it out later.’ I like to know. And how I figure that out is, I wouldn’t know how to explain that to you."

Heath Ledger on his career, taking more control, and whether it comes from a sense of rebellion:

"I guess so, but I honestly find that to be a necessity. I kind of had to. You know, I didn’t really like where I was heading. And I didn’t, I hadn’t, I didn’t really have a choice of that in the beginning. So it was either follow it or follow someone else’s dream, or stop it and follow your own. And it’s hard, it’s tough but it’s worth it, it really is. And it’s paid off."

In His Own Words: A Tribute to Heath Ledger Page 2 - Brokeback Mountain