When Heath Ledger died, rumors swirled that it was his "Dark Knight" role that broke him. But that couldn't be further from the truth...
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00:00When Heath Ledger died, rumors swirled that it was his dark knight role that broke him.
00:04But that couldn't be further from the truth.
00:07In 1999, Heath Ledger introduced himself to the world through the teen rom-com 10 Things
00:12I Hate About You.
00:13He took the role of the rugged lead Patrick Verona, who shows there's more to the bad
00:17boy than meets the eye.
00:19According to Ledger's co-star David Krumholz, the other young cast members hit it off immediately,
00:23but they were concerned about a certain Australian actor who was due to arrive a while after
00:28filming began.
00:29Could he unbalance the synergy between the castmates?
00:31On the contrary, Krumholz wrote for Vulture,
00:34"...but it was Heath, a natural storyteller and always reliable for a cheesy joke, who
00:39transfixed us.
00:40Before I knew it, the cast was experiencing what I've since found to be all too rare,
00:44a unified chemistry throughout the ensemble without a single bad apple in the bunch."
00:4910 Things I Hate About You director Gil Younger told The New York Times he knew there was
00:54something special about Ledger the moment he auditioned.
00:57As he recalled,
00:58"...Heath walked in, and I thought to myself, if this guy can read, I'm going to cast him.
01:02There was an energy to him, a sexuality that was palpable."
01:05Younger added that Ledger was noticeably anxious during his audition, but the filmmaker had
01:09already decided he was the pick for Patrick.
01:12"...Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.
01:17Go for it!"
01:18Considering how in-demand Ledger was before his death, it's unsurprising that directors
01:22who had worked with him before wanted to do so again.
01:25Gil Younger revealed to People magazine in 2024 that he reached out to Steve Alexander,
01:30Ledger's agent, a few weeks before the actor's death to pitch a new idea.
01:3410 Things I Hate About Me
01:35According to Younger, it was going to be a film that explored and exploded the myths
01:39of suicide.
01:41Younger said that Alexander conveyed Ledger's interest in reuniting with the director, but
01:45that the agent would only speak to Ledger after the actor wrapped production on the
01:48film he was busy with at the time.
01:50Not long afterward, though, Ledger died.
01:53That didn't stop Younger, though.
01:54He worked on another film titled 10 Things I Hate About Life, starring Evan Rachel Wood
01:59and exploring a similar theme to what Younger proposed to Ledger's agent in 2008.
02:03The movie was never completed and resulted in Wood being sued by the producers for reportedly
02:07abandoning the production.
02:10Thanks to breakout performances in 10 Things I Hate About You and The Patriot, Heath Ledger
02:14was a bonafide star by the time he was cast as William Thatcher in 2001's A Knight's
02:18Tale.
02:19So much so that he had the ability to make big requests from studios, including one he
02:23made to Sony.
02:24Ledger asked the studio to foot the bill and fly out 14 of his friends from Australia to
02:29stay at his Los Angeles home.
02:31That number only grew over time.
02:33According to Steve Alexander, Ledger's home became the hotspot for anyone in his circle
02:37coming from Australia to California.
02:39It seemed like anytime someone would be new in town and was from Australia, it was just
02:44call Heath.
02:45He was so welcoming.
02:46Ledger's friend and cinematographer Nicola Piccarini confirmed the story of his generosity
02:50and hospitality, calling his home an open house and stating that, quote,
02:55"...probably 50 people had the keys."
02:57But that all changed when Ledger met Michelle Williams, and they moved into a new home together.
03:01After that, his friends couldn't come and go as they pleased anymore.
03:04Love has given me wings, so I must fly.
03:08In 2020, Anya Taylor-Joy captivated audiences with her portrayal of chess prodigy Beth Harmon
03:14in Netflix's The Queen's Gambit.
03:16Based on Walter Tevis' 1983 novel of the same name, the show was years in the making,
03:21and at one point, Heath Ledger was set to create it.
03:24In 2008, screenwriter Alan Scott spoke to The Independent about the vision that he and
03:28Ledger had for their Queen's Gambit adaptation.
03:31Scott had held the rights to the story since 1992, but struggled to get it off the ground
03:35until he met Ledger.
03:37The actor planned to make the project his directorial debut and take on the role of
03:41a chess professional, while the role of Beth was offered to Elliot Page.
03:44Scott elaborated,
03:46I did draft after draft, and he gave his input, and we met several times in New York and Soho
03:50where he was spending a lot of his time.
03:52We had gotten to the stage where we had sent the script to Elliot.
03:55Heath was full of ideas for the other cast, mainly from his list of acting friends.
03:59We were planning to make a movie at the end of 2008."
04:02Scott praised Ledger's ability as a chess player in real life, stating that he was close
04:06to becoming a grandmaster.
04:08Ledger's ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts confirmed the actor's love for the game, telling Interview
04:12Magazine,
04:13He was a huge, obsessive chess freak, and very, very good at it.
04:18The Queen's Gambit would have been Ledger's first time directing an entire feature-length
04:21project, but it's not like he had zero experience with it during his lifetime.
04:25During production on The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan gave the actor a taste of filmmaking
04:29power by letting him direct a scene — in the Joker outfit and makeup, of course.
04:34Anthony Michael Hull, who plays the small role of reporter Mike Engel in the film, discussed
04:38the experience of having Ledger direct him with ComicBook.com in 2024.
04:42The scene features Hull's character appearing on a television screen hanging upside down
04:47while reading a message from the Joker before the villain turns the camera around.
04:51Hull didn't find out from the assistant director until the day of filming that it would be
04:54Ledger shooting the sequence instead of Nolan.
04:57Ledger's handling of the scene impressed Hull, especially since it was all filmed on a handheld
05:01camera for dramatic effect.
05:03He implied that Ledger channeled the Joker in his direction, stating,
05:07He shot it very, very viscerally and all that movement.
05:10It works great in the film.
05:12It's very cool.
05:13There's kind of an anarchy to the way he shot it.
05:15It's just like craziness."
05:16Do I really look like a guy with a plan?"
05:20Ledger made a serious effort to embody the Joker for The Dark Knight, committing himself
05:23by developing the character's unique vocal pattern and specific tics.
05:27Considering how his death is so closely tied with the movie, rumors spread that the extent
05:32of his method acting played a part in his passing.
05:34In fact, this story turned into something of a Hollywood urban legend.
05:38Those who knew him dispute this tale, however, suggesting that Ledger knew exactly where
05:42the line was between himself and the character.
05:44Christian Bale, the Batman to his Joker, told Today in 2008 that Ledger immersed himself
05:49in the role, but he didn't go overboard.
05:51Bale stated,
05:52Personally, I find it to be a complete lack of understanding of acting.
05:56I also found it very rude to try to create some kind of a soundbite for such a tragedy.
06:00The man was a complex man.
06:02He's a good man.
06:03I saw him as having nothing but the best time playing the Joker.
06:07At a screening of the documentary I Am Heath Ledger in 2018, the actor's sisters Ashley
06:11Bell and Kate Ledger put the rumors to rest.
06:14They explained that their brother had a blast playing the crown prince of crime, and thoroughly
06:19enjoyed his time wearing the iconic face paint.
06:22Heath Ledger truly loved his friends, and since he was a wealthy Hollywood actor, he
06:26showed his appreciation for them in some pretty extravagant ways.
06:30In the documentary I Am Heath Ledger, musician Ben Harper revealed how generous Ledger was
06:34to him on one special occasion.
06:37Harper recalled an evening where he and Ledger played on the actor's grand piano before the
06:40musician headed home.
06:42He woke up the next morning to find movers delivering the same piano to his house as
06:46Ledger had decided to gift it to his friend.
06:48Not only was Harper touched by the gesture, but he was also blown away when Ledger asked
06:52him to write a lullaby for his unborn daughter a few weeks later.
06:56In 2017, Harper posted the music video for his track Mourning Yearning, along with a
07:01heartfelt message on his Facebook page.
07:03The video had been directed by Ledger, and Harper paid tribute to his friend's influence
07:07by writing,
07:08Heath Ledger was an incredible director.
07:10He was brilliant behind the camera as well as in front of it.
07:13This video of the song Mourning Yearning is 100% his vision.
07:17It will always remain one of my most memorable creative experiences.
07:21Some people are just bigger than the world has room for.
07:29Film connoisseurs know Stephen Gagin as the writer and director of the award-winning films
07:33Traffic and Syriana.
07:35On Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Development Hell in 2024, Gagin revealed that he had been
07:39working with Ledger on bringing Gladwell's novel Blink to the big screen, and that the
07:43filmmaker had eyed Ledger as the lead.
07:46The pair had been in serious discussions, to the point that Gagin's script was found
07:49in the actor's bed when he died.
07:51Gagin explained to Gladwell,
07:52They were there with the body and our script was in bed with him and your book was on the
07:57bedside table.
07:58Gagin said that he received a call from Ledger's father, Kim, not too long after the actor
08:02was found dead, as he had seen Gagin's number written down.
08:06Gagin was shocked by the tragedy, and the script's peculiar placement.
08:09After Ledger died, Gagin ceased all work on the project.
08:13Heath Ledger cemented his status as a household name with the success of A Knight's Tale.
08:18It brought a new level of attention and popularity for the actor, but also frightened him, as
08:22Steve Alexander told Interview magazine.
08:24Naomi Watts shared a similar sentiment, explaining how Ledger never wanted to be a teenage hunk
08:29and fought to be seen as a serious artist.
08:31I've waited my whole life for this moment.
08:34According to director Matt Amato, Ledger started to resent the fame he achieved after A Knight's
08:39Tale.
08:40As Amato said,
08:41He wanted fame, and then when he got it, he didn't want it.
08:44He was mortified, and he felt owned.
08:46In 2024, Samuel Johnson, an Australian actor and one of Ledger's friends, appeared on the
08:52Aussie radio show Will & Woody and talked about an incident in which he experienced
08:56Ledger's level of celebrity firsthand.
08:58Johnson explained how they were walking together when he saw four fans faint after seeing Ledger
09:03in the flesh.
09:04He claimed,
09:05I've never seen anything like it.
09:06It was phenomenal.
09:07I asked him, how do you cope?
09:09And he just looked at me with a world of sadness in his eyes and said, I don't.
09:14According to Friends & Family, Ledger worshipped at the altar of his fellow Aussie Mel Gibson
09:18while he was growing up.
09:19Then relatively early in his film career, he received the chance to star alongside Gibson
09:24in 2000's The Patriot.
09:25That wasn't his only connection to Gibson, though.
09:28Ledger almost had the opportunity to roam the same post-apocalyptic wasteland as his
09:32idol and make his mark on the Mad Max franchise.
09:35After Gibson's 2006 arrest, director George Miller decided to recast the role of Max Rokitansky
09:41for what would eventually become Mad Max Fury Road.
09:44As Miller explained to The Daily Beast in 2015, he started having conversations with
09:48Ledger about the part around that time.
09:51Miller detailed,
09:52Every time Heath would come through Sydney, he'd call in and we'd chat about Max.
09:56He had that same thing that Mel and Tom Hardy have, that maleness, charisma, and restless
10:00energy, which you need to play a relatively still character.
10:03The world lost someone great when he went.
10:06Unquestionably, many fans, and probably even Miller, wonder how Ledger might have fared
10:11in comparison to Hardy and Gibson as the road warrior.
10:15According to Ledger's friend and dialect coach, Jerry Grenell, the actor was left drained
10:19as he filmed The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus.
10:22Grenell told People that Ledger was struggling to sleep and couldn't shake off a type of
10:26pneumonia that he was dealing with.
10:28He would hear Ledger walking around in the middle of the night and encourage him to go
10:31back to sleep, but the actor said he couldn't.
10:34In addition, Grenell admitted that Ledger wasn't in the happiest of places as he longed
10:38for his family.
10:39He revealed,
10:40"[He missed his girl.
10:41He missed his family.
10:42He missed his little girl.
10:43He desperately wanted to see her and hold her and play with her.
10:46He was desperately unhappy, desperately sad."
10:49Steve Alexander said that although Ledger experienced setbacks and issues, he had an
10:54eye on the future.
10:55In his words,
10:56"[He struggled with some demons, but he didn't want to go anywhere but forward."