Heath Ledger: 1979-2008

There's a moment in Heath Ledger's far too short, sometimes brilliant film career that makes me so teary eyed, so filled with wistful emotion, that no matter how many times I watch it, I'm still taken aback by its deceptively simple power. No, it's not a scene from Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (his transcendent performance there makes me weep -- for more obvious reasons); rather, it was his final scene in Catherine Hardwicke's Lords of Dogtown, that underrated skater picture featuring one of Ledger's most poignant performances.

As Skip Engblom, the crusty, aging uncle/father figure to the kids of Team Zephyr, young Ledger played beyond his years with sublime, quirky effortlessness. As in most of his performances, Ledger imbued what could have been a one-note aging stoner dude with sympathy and soul, dignifying Skip with a disarming, surprisingly heart-wrenching end note: Sanding a surfboard in the back of what was once his kingdom, in what could have been an easy, here's-where-he's-at-now scene. Instead, Ledger fills us with a compelling mixture of sadness and a glimmer of hope that Skip will at least survive this life OK. After his boss orders him to finish a surfboard for some kid, the past lord dutifully, but bitterly, complies. Glumly sitting down, Skip slowly perks up to the lovely opening of Rod Stewart's "Maggie May." Pounding to that infectious double drum beat preceding Stewart's passionate "Wake up, Maggie, I think I got something to say to you," Skip, in a flash of understated joy and release, turns up the radio and sings along. Ledger is so in the moment and so naturally bittersweet that in mere seconds, he makes one remember just how much those little things in life can affect you -- those times or sensations that either make you crash hard or for one wonderful, ephemeral moment, lift you higher.

And Ledger could work those powerful sensations in all of his performances, whether he was gleefully laughing at himself in the giddily entertaining A Knight's Tale or silently, desperately pining for his beloved in Brokeback Mountain. It seems silly to say he was underrated since he received an Academy Award nomination for his tortured cowboy Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback, but in many respects he was underrated. Given that much of his earlier work was looked upon as the standard, hot young thing pabulum many actors slog through before reaching critical credibility, Ledger was often underappreciated for always being interesting, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot and all.

Moving his career to his own fascinating frequency, the Australian Ledger eschewed the predictable romantic comedy/action hero leading man roles that could have followed his splashy, sexy 2000 Vanity Fair cover, anointing him as the latest stud du jour. It reads like a terrific career move, an initial sacrifice but ultimately a rewarding step toward serious movie stardom. But watching Ledger skillfully slip into the skin of a depressive, soft-hearted young man in Monster's Ball or embody a brash, sexy rake in Casanova, I can't imagine the actor having any kind of choice. He was just too sensitive, too interesting, too intelligent an actor to not make any part uniquely his own. And exciting. Watching his psychopathic, perfectly hideous Joker in the trailer for Christopher Nolan's upcoming Batman chapter The Dark Knight gives me chills, not only for the dual thrill of seeing two of cinema's greatest, chameleonlike talents (Christian Bale and Ledger, who were also terrific in Todd Haynes' stunning Dylan meditation, I'm Not There) pitted against one another, but for Ledger's maniacal, edgier take on the legendary supervillain. Ledger's ability to create a Joker that'll out-do Jack Nicholson appears to be unquestionable, and this was clearly yet another important transformative moment in the actor's career.

But I'm discussing Ledger's career in the past tense, something I'm having a tough time wrapping my mind around. He was one of my favorite working actors, an actor I've been advocating and arguing for as someone special and different since his earlier roles, and an actor I now find myself cherishing. Like many of you, I was absolutely stunned and depressed to learn of his death. I can barely grasp the realization as I write this right now. He was only 28 years old. He was in the middle of Terry Gilliam's newest picture, an admirable task since, in spite of how great he was in Gilliam's otherwise messy The Brothers Grimm, you know someone must have advised him against it. But Gilliam, as troubled as some of his productions have been, is an artist. And so was Ledger.

Thinking of the last movie I saw Ledger in, as the beautiful, romantic but flawed and human "live fast, die young" James Dean-inspired Dylan persona in I'm Not There, I was filled with sadness, recalling the enchanting, idyllic scenes between Charlotte Gainsbourg and Ledger tuned to Dylan's "I Want You." What bliss. What joy to simply watch Ledger engaging in such bliss. And what a magnificent, soulful talent he was, with so much more to give movies and life. To paraphrase Dylan, we want you, we want you, we want you back, so bad.

From my piece originally published at MSN Movies

Comments

[Rick Olson]

God, Kim, you write about Ledger beautifully. Thank you.

I'll always remember him as Billy Bob Thornton's son in "Monster's Ball". I'm the father of a son about the age of his character, and watching the interactions of Ledger and Thornton, I was filled with regret, guilt, recognition ...

Again, great piece.

[Ilsa Lund]

So beautiful. Yesterday I was in shock to learn that one of the most talented young actors had died; today I'm wondering how his legacy will live on, how he'll be remembered. I can only imagine that this is how people felt in September of 1955 when James Dean's life came to a crashing, burning and surprising end. When The Dark Knight comes out to theaters, I almost fear the melancholy that I know is inevitable, for he'll still steal the movie, but not with his performance.

Heath will be remembered the most as conflicted cowboy Ennis in Brokeback Mountain, but yesterday after hearing The News I sat down and watched the underrated (if somewhat shallow on reevaluation) 10 Things I Hate About You for the first time since I was in high school, back when I watched and loved films for pleasure and not for their art. While the film's flaws were more painfully obvious this time around, Heath Ledger's natural charm and self-confidence still carried its power. Though he mostly took on dramatic roles (to poignant results), his comedic timing and easy-going swagger almost reminds someone of a young Cary Grant, and it's a shame that he didn't play more comedies. We'll never know all that could've been, but at least we can remember all that truly was.

[Pete Bogs]

Kim, you ought to check out Heath in "Candy," which didn't get a big US release, but is on DVD... Heath's a junkie who, along with his girlfriend Candy, slowly throws his life away... very compelling and disturbing throughout...

if I can see "I Stand Alone" based on your recommendation, you can see this one!

[Edward GarGur]

Just Beautiful, Kim.

[jane doe]

Thank you, Kim Morgan. You've articulated why I can't quit him.

[Russ]

Kim,

Great tribute with the respect and sentiment deserving.
Our daughter was a huge Heath Ledger fan and loved Knights Tale. She was about ten when she first saw Heath. She instantly fell head over heels-there was truly a special quality that shined through his on screen character.
She read your remembrance to Heath
and also thought you wrote a beautiful piece.

[Demi Gongos]

For the past few days I have been despondent, unable to understand quite why the death of Heath Ledger has affected me so deeply. I have thus far been unable to put to words what I was feeling. Upon reading your beautiful article, I have managed to put some meaning to it all. Thank you for writing such a poignant piece, as it has helped me to understand why I remain so sad.

[G]

I don't usually write comments or blogs on things I read, but the way that you describe Heath Ledger and his career, I just had to say Bravo! I have loved him since I first saw him on TV in "Roar", and it warms my heart to see how much other people appreciate and, sadly, miss him too. Thank you for your words.

[ivy]

I absolutely agree with everything you wrote about Heath Ledger's performance in 'The Lords of Dogtown'. Another scene that stuck in my mind was the scene with Skip and Jay on the abandoned boardwalk after the fire. At one point, Heath has this sad look on his face and it's so genuine. This movie is worth watching, and Heath's performance is the biggest reason why.

[Carrie]

beautifully written, you said what I've been struggling to say to myself for the past week. Thank you Kim. May this odd stunned feeling pass for all of us.

[Carrie Jenkins]

What can I say about Heath Ledger. Someone I never met ,bUt felt so close to by his work. He was a brilliant actor(everyone knew that)But I want to talk about the craziness of how life works. I have been a drug addict for 15 year, clean for 2.But I still had prices to pay. I lost my whole family ,incuding my 2 daughters.But I'm still here,and 2 years clean.Then theres this brilliaiant, young actor who had the whole world in his hands. So talented and full of life and Had a beautiful family and coul've done anything he wanted.So why him. Theres people like me out here in the world who at 30 years old still hasn't found my place in the world,with no talents and not much to offer. I've been sdoing heavy drugs 1/2 my life and I'm still here. So why him?It blows my mind whenever one of these young talented actors die but something about Heath's death hit me real hard.Probably because I was a huge fan,but also that more than once I have had in my body what he had and I'm still standing here. Alive and well!So why isn't he?It just makes me so mad to the point of tears to think of what happened to him.I guess what I'm trying to get st, life is a gamble and if your dealt the wrong hand it can be taken in the blink of an eye, so learn from him and what happened to him. It could save your life!My heart goes out to his family, Michelle and Matilda.And may Heath forever RIP.I loved his work and I just don't think it's fair and I had to voice my opinion.Maybe his death will save some lives!You never know. Thank you for taking the time to read what I had to say.We love you Heath!RIP

[Alexa]

I remember reading your article the day after Heath died and thinking it was so beautiful, and today, 3 months later, it still is.