I am compelled to write something of the way that I feel on hearing the news of Heath’s passing as I think it’s our responsibility to not only celebrate the too-short life of this young Australian, but it’s our burden to think about the consequences of his death. It is always too fickle to speculate on the circumstances involved and I will not do that here. What is certain is that Ledger’s movie roles will be remembered alongside that of all the great actors who have gone before him. What I am keenly aware of is that like so many talented young people, he has left us far too soon.
I am a month younger than Heath Ledger and his trajectory and quality of work has been inspiring. Since seeing him in Gregor Jordan’s film ‘Two Hands’, I have keenly watched all his films and have always been impressed with his performances. He is by far the greatest actor of my generation. I use the present tense because he will remain so – no one of my age will surpass his talent. His body of work is that good.
One of the most interesting aspects of Heath’s career has been his choice of film roles. His latest, due for release this year, is as Batman’s the Joker. Already it’s been said that his portrayal rivals that of Jack Nicholson’s 1989 version. I have no doubt that it will, as Heath inhabited the darkness of life all too well.
The 2002 release ‘The Four Feathers’ was the film that proved to me that Heath was the guy to watch. Directed by Shekhar Kapur, in a nutshell it was a film about the fall of the British Empire through their first significant military defeat. Heath plays the star, the young soldier driven into service out of family pressure and who leaves the army when they are to be sent to war. The film spoke of many themes of what it is to be a young man, not only in that society but through all the ages. Heath’s performance transcended the screen with an archetypal set of characteristics that resonates with me today, six years on. He embodied the themes of honour, love, betrayal, and redemption so beautifully. Through his acting, he showed us, the audience, that there is a path of redemption available to us all, if only we have the courage to pursue it. It spoke of the possibilities open to us all if only we have the gumption to strive on.
Actors, like writers, give so much of themselves. We invest so much emotion, it drains what little we have left to lead our own lives. Our art takes so much, sometimes more than we should give, often more than we realise. It’s a fine line, between our work and our lives and it is all too easy to blur that line. When we bring our work home, it destroys more than those around us. It consumes the very essence of what makes us human. When we explore darkness, in particular, it’s often too hard to turn back. It’s at times too intoxicating to walk away from when in the midst of the creation. You feel you have to live it to make it true.
The truth portrayed in ‘Brokeback Mountain’, the incredible Ang Lee film based on the brilliant story by Annie Proulx, cemented Heath’s spot among history’s great actors. The heavily silent emotions Heath brought out in his character added significant weight to what was already a heady role as written on the page and brought to the screen by Proulx and Lee respectively. Heath, through his character Ennis Del Mar, proved that love is as blind as it is unforgiving. That while it may be forbidden, the price of a love lost far outweighs a future of regret.
We will never know what brilliant work lay ahead in his future. We will reflect on what he has given us, those roles that defined him as an actor and a young man that will live on. Considering that he gave us so much of himself, I will always wonder if he had enough left of himself to sleep in peace at night.
What I do know, is that he has left a legacy and a benchmark for so many of us to strive for. And I do know that for someone who sought to bring us characters who had lived with so much truth, he deserves to be remembered through time as a genius actor.
As someone Heath’s age I am more than saddened at missing out on what else Heath would have taught me. While I am angry that I will now live a life without him in it, I come away reflecting on what he gave. Too much, too soon.
I am compelled to write something of the way that I feel on hearing the news of Heath’s passing as I think it’s our responsibility to not only celebrate the too-short life of this young Australian, but it’s our burden to think about the consequences of his death. It is always too fickle to speculate on the circumstances involved and I will not do that here. What is certain is that Ledger’s movie roles will be remembered alongside that of all the great actors who have gone before him. What I am keenly aware of is that like so many talented young people, he has left us far too soon.
I am a month younger than Heath Ledger and his trajectory and quality of work has been inspiring. Since seeing him in Gregor Jordan’s film ‘Two Hands’, I have keenly watched all his films and have always been impressed with his performances. He is by far the greatest actor of my generation. I use the present tense because he will remain so – no one of my age will surpass his talent. His body of work is that good.
One of the most interesting aspects of Heath’s career has been his choice of film roles. His latest, due for release this year, is as Batman’s the Joker. Already it’s been said that his portrayal rivals that of Jack Nicholson’s 1989 version. I have no doubt that it will, as Heath inhabited the darkness of life all too well.
The 2002 release ‘The Four Feathers’ was the film that proved to me that Heath was the guy to watch. Directed by Shekhar Kapur, in a nutshell it was a film about the fall of the British Empire through their first significant military defeat. Heath plays the star, the young soldier driven into service out of family pressure and who leaves the army when they are to be sent to war. The film spoke of many themes of what it is to be a young man, not only in that society but through all the ages. Heath’s performance transcended the screen with an archetypal set of characteristics that resonates with me today, six years on. He embodied the themes of honour, love, betrayal, and redemption so beautifully. Through his acting, he showed us, the audience, that there is a path of redemption available to us all, if only we have the courage to pursue it. It spoke of the possibilities open to us all if only we have the gumption to strive on.
Actors, like writers, give so much of themselves. We invest so much emotion, it drains what little we have left to lead our own lives. Our art takes so much, sometimes more than we should give, often more than we realise. It’s a fine line, between our work and our lives and it is all too easy to blur that line. When we bring our work home, it destroys more than those around us. It consumes the very essence of what makes us human. When we explore darkness, in particular, it’s often too hard to turn back. It’s at times too intoxicating to walk away from when in the midst of the creation. You feel you have to live it to make it true.
The truth portrayed in ‘Brokeback Mountain’, the incredible Ang Lee film based on the brilliant story by Annie Proulx, cemented Heath’s spot among history’s great actors. The heavily silent emotions Heath brought out in his character added significant weight to what was already a heady role as written on the page and brought to the screen by Proulx and Lee respectively. Heath, through his character Ennis Del Mar, proved that love is as blind as it is unforgiving. That while it may be forbidden, the price of a love lost far outweighs a future of regret.
We will never know what brilliant work lay ahead in his future. We will reflect on what he has given us, those roles that defined him as an actor and a young man that will live on. Considering that he gave us so much of himself, I will always wonder if he had enough left of himself to sleep in peace at night.
What I do know, is that he has left a legacy and a benchmark for so many of us to strive for. And I do know that for someone who sought to bring us characters who had lived with so much truth, he deserves to be remembered through time as a genius actor.
As someone Heath’s age I am more than saddened at missing out on what else Heath would have taught me. While I am angry that I will now live a life without him in it, I come away reflecting on what he gave. Too much, too soon.