Last Tuesday afternoon, massive text messages were sent, Facebook statuses were updated, and movie fans across the country and world seemed to collectively gasp in shock over the tragic death of Academy Award-nominated actor Heath Ledger, who was found dead in his apartment at the young age of 28.
While the Australian-born actor’s stateside career was a mishmash of teen comedies, period adventure films, indie dramas and summer action blockbusters, in his nine years on screen it seems he made a significant mark. The outpouring of shock and sentiment after his death from family, friends and, most notably, legions of fans who never even personally knew him demonstrates just how many he touched with the talent and care he brought to his craft.
Our culture’s addiction to celebrity is clear week in and week out with the sheer amount of minute-by-minute Britney Spears coverage and the bulk of VH1’s programming schedule (minus those endless “America’s Next Top Model” marathons). However, it is when we lose someone as prevalent in our mass media as Ledger that the true impact of movies and actors specifically in our entertainment-centric society is felt.
Unfortunately in Hollywood, it seems Heath’s story is an old one. Like Brad Renfro (who also died recently), not all young promising talents are able to stay away from the temptations and opportunities afforded to one in the inner circles of show business.
For example, when people think of James Dean, they think of the ideal ’50s poster boy. Some people may know he was in “Rebel Without a Cause” and “East of Eden,” but most just know he was a young “it” boy in Hollywood who lost his life in a tragic car accident.
The same goes for the late River Phoenix. The last name may ring up his brother Joaquin of “Walk the Line” and most recently “We Own the Night,” but those familiar with River specifically know the sad story of Halloween 1993 when River died in front of the Viper Room from drug-induced heart failure. Unfortunately, they don’t usually know about his Oscar nomination for 1988’s “Running on Empty” or one of his first awe-inspiring breakout moments in “Stand by Me.”
While it is important to keep the tragic circumstances of death in perspective to hopefully keep others in the future from making the same mistake, it is the work these actors left behind and the stories told through acting that we should focus on rather than the stories of their tragic and sudden fall.
Though only “few had the pleasure of truly knowing him,” as his father Kim Ledger said in a statement released last week, having seen his image plastered on billboards and big screens for almost a decade makes the loss more personal.
It’s a tragedy in and of itself that people seem to be more concerned with the still unanswered questions of suicide and the presence of additional substances rather than what the acting community has lost.
Daniel Day-Lewis got it right on Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards when he mentioned Ledger’s role in “Monster’s Ball” in addition to his more widely known role as Ennis in “Brokeback Mountain.”
To honor Ledger best, instead of focusing on his personal and dark ending, we should try to remember Ledger for how we’ve only known him: a talented actor.
If you’re excited for Ledger’s turn as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” e-mail Stanhope at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.