Jesus, we just spent the last hour going through this incredibly long, 28-page EW feature and tribute to Heath Ledger (he died one year ago on January 22, 2008). It’s amazing and an incredible read (really emotional in spots too) with super candid interview with friends and filmmakers that worked with him. But here’s the first thing (of many) that caught our eye.
Ledger’s CAA agent Steve Alexander (quoted thoroughly and extensively throughout the piece) says he’s sure the Joker would have returned for a sequel to “The Dark Knight.” Everyone who worked on the film was convinced that Ledger had achieved somethign extraordinary, rare and special.
“The Dark Knight when Heath’s hanging upside down and he says to Batman, ‘You and I are destined to do this forever.’ It’s a very sad moment. A sequel certainly would have happened. I cringe when I read that he was a tortured soul or a Method actor who couldn’t get out of his own way because he’d played this dark character. It’s just not true.”
Seriously, if you have any doubts that Heath Ledger might not win the Oscar, read this piece and you’ll be convinced. Not necessarily because it makes his performance any less (or more) great, but because you know everyone in Hollywood is going to read this feature and we dare you (or them) to not be affected by it. It’s really sad, overall. To think what could have come. The piece also notes that the day after his death, Ledger was scheduled to meet with Steven Spielberg to discuss a role in a now defunct project (for Spielberg anyhow).
“The day after he died, he was going to meet Steven Spielberg to explore the idea of playing Tom Hayden in a movie about the Chicago 7. This wasn’t a guy who was even for a second thinking about checking out in any way, shape, or form.”
Sad. Read the EW piece in full no matter how long it takes. It makes one wistful, for sure.