Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Heath Ledger 1979-2008
It’s been almost a full 24 hours since I first heard the shocking news of Heath Ledger’s death. It’s always a time of reflection when someone dies. Sadly, with Heath it is not only a look back at his work but you can ponder about the performances he would never give and where his potential would take him.
He leaves behind a very solid resume where he usually received better reviews than the films did. He took chances with the films he picked. His two best received films are no exceptions. His first foray into critical success was in the sexually charged Monster’s Ball playing the son of Billy Bob Thornton who was both similar and dissimilar to the father. He took his acting to a new level, earning an Oscar nomination for his role in Brokeback Mountain. Playing the “gay cowboy” was a risky move but he brought Ennis Del Mar to life that surpassed what was in the original short story.
He has been compared to James Dean as a possible major talent struck down in their move to superstardom. In many ways it is valid. He even has a major film that will be released after his death. It will certainly be the biggest moneymaker of his career and a role that also has a certain degree of risk.
I don’t know if I’d call myself a big fan of his. It looked like he was going to be a major talent for years to come. I also respected his choice of roles. He wasn’t working in any Michael Bay films. He was one of the 20ish actors that included Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a former co-star) who were choosing quality of huge paychecks. That’s what is so depressing about his death. A talent who seemed more interested in the work then the partying.
Hot Chicks Born Today
Mariska Hargitay, 44, enjoy her greatly on L&O: SVU
Tiffani Thiessen, 34, watched her in both Saved By the Bell and 90210
He leaves behind a very solid resume where he usually received better reviews than the films did. He took chances with the films he picked. His two best received films are no exceptions. His first foray into critical success was in the sexually charged Monster’s Ball playing the son of Billy Bob Thornton who was both similar and dissimilar to the father. He took his acting to a new level, earning an Oscar nomination for his role in Brokeback Mountain. Playing the “gay cowboy” was a risky move but he brought Ennis Del Mar to life that surpassed what was in the original short story.
He has been compared to James Dean as a possible major talent struck down in their move to superstardom. In many ways it is valid. He even has a major film that will be released after his death. It will certainly be the biggest moneymaker of his career and a role that also has a certain degree of risk.
I don’t know if I’d call myself a big fan of his. It looked like he was going to be a major talent for years to come. I also respected his choice of roles. He wasn’t working in any Michael Bay films. He was one of the 20ish actors that included Ryan Gosling and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a former co-star) who were choosing quality of huge paychecks. That’s what is so depressing about his death. A talent who seemed more interested in the work then the partying.
Hot Chicks Born Today
Mariska Hargitay, 44, enjoy her greatly on L&O: SVU
Tiffani Thiessen, 34, watched her in both Saved By the Bell and 90210
# posted by ChrisR @ 2:00 PM 
