I thought his performance in Brokeback Mountain was an iconic performance – strong, silent, a real throwback to another kind of male character (Josh Brolin in No Country For Old Men is a more recent example). The silent stoic Marlboro Man, with hidden depths. When he let it out, it was raw, jagged, ugly. Not because the emotions themselves were ugly, but because he was so unused to expressing that side of him that it came out like an explosion, messy and heart-cracking. The way he kissed Gyllenhaal against the wall during their reunion is an example. It was so violent and ferocious, you couldn’t tell if it was a punch and a kiss.
It is one of the more visceral performances of recent memory. You could smell the nicotine on the edges of his fingers, you could smell his sweat. This was not a man who spoke much, felt comfortable speaking … and any time he did open his mouth to speak, it was as though the vocal cords took a while to realize: “Oh … we’re doing this now? We’re talking?”
Gyllenhaal was good – but there were times when I remembered he was an actor, and it pulled me out of it a bit.
I never ever had that thought with Ledger. And I remember, too, his couple of scenes in Monster’s Ball, another deeply portrayed kind of awkward guy, not used to speaking much – and given the right circumstances that character would probably be an awesome husband, partner … But as it was, he was relegated to isolation, stoic silence.
A quiet (maybe shy) tough silent guy, a throwback perhaps, bulked up against feeling or vulnerability, meeting life with a clenched fist … but oh, if you could just pry that hand open, what a generous soul you would find. That, to me, is who Ledger was onscreen. But then you would see him in interviews, and he seemed so slight physically – there were times I wouldn’t even know that that was the same guy – he had such a presence when he was acting, he always looked totally different on the red carpet, or in interviews. His physicality in real life looked delicate, slim, slender, almost Orlando Bloom-ish. He was a sensitive guy, with lovely manners.
It made me realize that, yeah, he was acting in Brokeback. He did a helluva job.
Watch him sit and think in Brokeback. It’s my favorite kind of film performance – spare, clear, emotional, visual, it’s all in the eyes.
I’m really shocked and sad.
Rest in peace.
Share your thoughts about him at House Next Door.
And here at Edward’s.
Jim Emerson has a very moving tribute up. It begins:
Rare is the performance that can honestly be called a “revelation,” but that’s what it felt like to watch Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain.” Not only did he bring iconic life and nuance to the existential loneliness of Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn but complex (and conflicted) character, but for such mature work to spring from the teen-idol star of “10 Things I Hate About You” and “A Knight’s Tale” was… well, revelatory itself — the astonishing revelation of a suddenly, fully developed actor who, in the superficial juvenile parts he’d played previously, had given little indication he was capable of such moving depth and clarity. Ledger emerged as if from a cocoon, gleaming with promise and flexing his wings.
Brendon at My Five Year Plan has a post which brought tears to my eyes.
Marisa shares her thoughts. That’s one of my favorite moments in the film, too Marisa. Ouch.
Robbie at Reverseblog has a post up about Brokeback, and why that performance was so crucial.
If Brokebackâs pain proved exquisite for some and unbearably raw for others, odds are it was all because of Ennisâs internalized anguish, his disparity between how he felt and how he was told to act opening up a chasm within him too great to bridge.
I just re-watched Brokeback Mountain. I’m really sad about this one.
Awful news.
Still have yet to see Brokeback, I know, I know. But I loved A Knight’s Tale and was eagerly looking forward to his Joker in The Dark Knight.
Too young!
I just saw the preview for his Joker and it looked awesome! Dark, and messed-up and truly frightening.
Way too young.
This is just awful, especially since it looks like it was intentional (at times like this, I can’t even type the flipping “s” word. It makes me too sick), and he has a very young daughter who has a lot of pain ahead of her.
Rest in peace, sir. Your talent will not be forgotten.
I am experiencing something new. Shock. Genuine shock. I never thought anything that celebs did would surprise me, but his death has really hurt me. I sound silly. I am still grasping at explanations about how somebody so beautifully, vividly talented could just… stop. Die. With the drugs in the room it sounds like possible suicide. If it does turn out to be suicide, I think I will absolutely lose my mind.
I liked him Brokeback Mountain but I can’t say I was a huge Heath Ledger fan. I didn’t pay much attention. But now that he’s gone, my attention is total. I’m stunned and sad – I am at a loss why I’m reacting this way but I feel like I want to lie down in bed all for the rest of the day.
He was definitely a big player – and had a very interesting career already – with the whole Knight’s Tale thing, and how he walked away from that KIND of stardom, and tried to create something else. The boy-band type of stardom, the Tiger Beat kind of stardom … it was offered to him (I still remember the advertising campaign for Knight’s Tale) – and he just resisted it, somehow.
I really admired that about him (and I loved Knight’s Tale). But it was obvious he wanted to challenge himself, and he did – repeatedly.
A sad day. My thoughts are with his family, and loved ones.
What a horrible waste. I might add that he was quite good in the enjoyable (if flawed) Four Feathers.
Now they’re saying he had pneumonia. It’s just so sad. I wonder, if he was sick, did he mix meds to try to get some sleep or something? I still just can’t believe it.
I am shocked as well. The news made it to the front page of the national newspaper I read every morning here in Buenos Aires, and I just stood there looking at the little headline in the corner of the page, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. This is so sad.
I have yet to see Brokeback Mountain, but I remember having a tremendous crush on Heath Ledger when I first saw him in The Patriot (as I suppose did many girls/women). And I always had a soft spot for him afterwards.
Rest in peace, Heath.
Like you, I most loved his performance in Brokeback Mountain. But I always enjoyed him onscreen. In Brokeback he made it clear that he had tremendous talent, really impressive acting chops, and the ability to rivet an audience like so few actors of his generation. But honestly, I also thought he combined that with the ability to be a classic movie star.
I loved him in Ten Things I Hate About You and Knight’s Tale and I would have had trouble knowing how to explain it, but Joan at House Next Door put it perfectly: “He had this easy charm and grace, so very appealing.” He had a warm likeability when he did romantic comedy. I was impressed when he chose to move on to meatier fare, but he always held your eye. Even in the fluffy stuff.
I’m sure his turn as the Joker will be creative and forceful and again give us new insight into what he was capable of. As someone who simply enjoyed him onscreen, I’m sad for all the performances we’re going to miss (As a human being, I feel terrible for his family).
I heard this at the rink while we were getting ready for our game. Gobsmacked. It’s just awful.
My heart goes out to his friends and family. This is just sad.
And I’m angry at the news-culture who take a death – which is a tragedy, at least for those who loved him – and use it as wild speculative fodder to sensationalize things. The whole “Found surrounded by pills” statement, which now seems to have been a lie.
And I’m also angry at the people who are using this as an instance to moralize about suicide (which this very likely was not), or the lifestyles of celebrities, or “but he had SO MUCH.” Not the time, not the place.
Let’s keep it a conversation about his life and his work, please. Thanks.
I’m sorry, red.
I seem to do this kind of shit all the time on your blog. I guess I’m just not socially adjusted enough to know what’s appropriate.
I don’t think you do this kind of stuff on my blog all the time, ricki – that’s not my perception of you at all. I just prefer to talk about the work, and who he was as an actor, and complaining about the coverage is not only too easy, but boring to me. I’m very sad at this loss – I was a big fan of his, and very into what he might do in his career … Lots of people are angry at the media right now – and I just don’t like the tone of such conversations – or how they tend to go, and prefer to focus on what really matters to me: the work.
Having just seen Brokeback again last night, I am amazed, yet again, that he was only 28 years old. And he was even younger when he did Brokeback. If you’ve seen the film, then you know how much he “ages” by the end – and it’s completely realistic (while it’s not so much with Gyllenhaal – who is just flat out too young to age all that much) – I assumed Ledger was in his 30s at least. Not to mention the fact that his performance is so – assured. Like – wow, where did that MOVIE STAR come from?
I’m amazed he wasn’t even 30 yet. Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight, the new Batman film – said of Ledger in his role:
“It was a very great challenge for Heath. Heâs extremely original, extremely frightening, tremendously edgy. A very young character, a very anarchic presence that taps into a lot of our basic fears and panic.”
I first knew of him from 10 Things I Hate About You — just a fun movie — but still, he stood out with that certain energy he has. I was just going “Who IS this guy?”
Sheila, I just respect the hell out of you.
I am looking forward to seeing Ledger’s take on The Joker. I was impressed with the approach Christian Bale had taken to Batman, making him this very real, angry and damaged human being. The previews for The Dark Knight imply that Ledger took a similarly gritty approach to The Joker, trying to make that fantastical character fit into a real world. It will be wonderful to see the two onscreen together.
And I loved him in Ten Things, Tracey. I didn’t love everything about it, but I thought he was just charming. The reason the film did well.
Brokeback Mountain was simply his film.
28 years is such a short period of time, but some people do great work and leave a lasting mark in so little time. It’s little consolation, but he leaves behind performances that will not be forgotten.
Heath! I remember being so scared before I saw Brokeback because Ennis was such a character that was so huge on paper – I couldn’t imagine someone bringing him to life and “getting” it. And then, well then I saw the movie. I really am speechless. Very sad. He was so beautiful – I loved his cheeks. as an aside, I think that Jake Gyllenhal was equally amazing in Brokeback – his character is much more open and simple, and perhaps easier to play? I’m not sure, but I loved the two of them together in that movie. It was just as Annie wrote it.
Jean – do you have a phone again?? We’re overdue to talk!
I had exactly the same fear before seeing the movie – I had read the short story when it first came out in The New Yorker – like, even before it was put in a collection, and it blew. me. AWAY. i love annie anyway (I will ignore the accordion book) … but man, that story. Killer.
It’s been a while since I read it – but watching it last night here was the impression I really got:
The Gylennhall character was more openly tortured by not being able to express his sexuality. He didn’t have a name for it, he said he “wasn’t queer” – but in their fight near the end, you can tell that he can’t STAND it – which is why he goes off to Mexico to sleep with boys, etc. Ennis would NEVER do something like that. It disgusts him to think about – member his reaction?
And Ennis … I don’t know … From what I remember (and why he is such a freakin’ awesome character): He was, basically, a guy who could only love one person in his lifetime. And once that didn’t work out, he was done. “If you can’t fix it, you gotta stand it,” he said – and I know that’s a quote from the story. And it just so happens that that person was a guy. And so … he just had to stand it.
And that whole one-love thing … Ledger just was so so awesome at playing that (especially with a character who never expresses himself) – like, he just suggested it … and then the last shot, as tears fill his eyes and he looks at the postcard …
You just get it all. His entire life is in that moment.
It’s heartbreaking.
i literally cant watch it anymore..last time i watched it..i had a meltdown…like..” will i ever love like that??”..”will i ever BE loved like that”…”why did he have to die??”….im unprepared to watch it agian for awhile.
Mitchell – I know, hon. I know that feeling.
I love you.