Heath Ledger: Remembering the Past, Grieving the Present, and Hoping for the Future

Yesterday, we lost one of the greatest actors of this generation. Heath Ledger was an upcoming star. If he has not already had made himself a name in the past with films like “Brokeback Mountain,” “Ten Things I Hate About You,” and “A Knight’s Tale,” then he would have surely made a name for himself playing The Joker in the new Batman movie “The Dark Knight.” It was sure to be a success, and just looking at the “Why So Serious” posters, I was sure I was looking at a star that would have gotten much more stardom in the future. Unfortunately, the fantastic future ended untimely yesterday, when Ledger was found dead in his home.

I’ll never forget February of 2006. I was the only kid in my town that was rooting for “that gay cowboy movie.” I’ll never forget being made fun at school because I cheered it on. This was before even seeing the film. I knew that it would have been one of the best films of that previous film. When it lost to “Crash,” I was devastated. “Crash” was good, but something was up between the lost of a film where the characters are homosexuals and a film where everyone is almost racist as can be. I finally saw it April of 2006, and the film stayed with me for a long time. There was a three week period in April where there was nothing good that came out on DVD, so I sat and watched “Brokeback Mountain” many times. The gay scenes never bothered me; if I could put up with the ones during “Alexander,” I could put up with the ones in “Brokeback Mountain.”

Ang Lee created a masterpiece in his eyes and in mine. The wonderfully acted film starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as two gay cowboys that had a love affair for many years with their wives. I was surprised when I found out how well acted it was, and for an A-list movie that literally had nothing going for it until the public found out these characters were gay, I think it was quite an achievement. Despite “Scary Movie” star Anna Faris and “Scooby Doo” star Linda Cardellini, it was held pretty well by the two men and Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. I still think that after all of the controversy, Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” remains a classic.

Even if Ledger’s films were terrible, he seemed to always hold the film on his own. “The Brothers Grimm” was one of the most disappointing films of 2005, but Heath Ledger held my interest until the final credits. I’m not that big of a fan of “A Knight’s Tale” and “Ten Things I Hate About You” either, but I can admit that Heath Ledger works every way in those films. “Candy” was a different type of role for the guy – a normal guy that gets hooked onto heroin. The film didn’t work out so well, but next to Jared Leto, Benicio Del Toro, and Ben Foster, he played a drug user great enough that it should have been nominated for an award. I like “Lords of Dogtown” for what it is too.

It’s said that Heath Ledger either killed himself or died on an accidental overdose of over-the-counter sleeping pills. Being that the apartment was in the name of Mary Kate Olson doesn’t surprise me. That place was a death trap to even begin with. But in all seriousness, I never saw a drug overdose coming. The man had a bright future. With “The Dark Knight” on his heels, he would have made himself one of the most famous stars in Hollywood. I began thinking that maybe Ledger wasn’t ready to become a big star. “Brokeback Mountain” made him big enough, but it wasn’t as viewed by many as “The Dark Knight” will be.

Every-time that I see a trailer for “The Dark Knight,” I already get filled with emotion. I really don’t know if I can see the film in theaters when it will be released in theaters. It will be hard to watch Ledger’s last performance and maybe even his best. Of course, “The Dark Knight” will still go on, and all of the filming has finished, but is Ledger had any role in the post production is clearly unknown to me.

My thoughts go out to the family of Heath, which include his ex-wife and two year old daughter (plus his other family members). My thoughts go out to the friends of Heath, and all of the people who worked with him. And my thoughts finally go out to the fans, who are all going through a rough time now. Yes, we lost one of the greatest actors of this generation, but his legacy will march on. May he rest in peace.