“One night while I’m on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to set up a shot for The Dark Knight , a production assistant rides past me riding his skateboard. Silently, I curse that moment when Heath appeared on the set riding his set in full make-up as his character. I feared the reaction of Batman fans to a Joker on a scooter, but the real result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger members of the team. If you asked those guys why they decided to bring their skateboards to work, they would have honestly answered that they didn’t know why. That is true charisma – as invisible and natural as gravity. That was what Heath had.”
We begin this article dedicated to Heath Ledger, one of the great film talents who left us before his time, with the words dedicated to him by Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight , the film that earned the Australian actor a posthumous Oscar, hours after we woke up on a day like today twelve years ago to this shocking news.
More painful if possible because it seemed that his big moment was coming, since, after an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain , the world seemed his. He had left behind his teenage magazine cover stealer figureand the entire industry and the public were aware that they were facing a performer of immense talent, an actor of race who overturned the shootings with his meticulousness, immersed in the constant search for perfection. For the memory there is a short but significant filmography. Next, we present the works that, in our opinion, carry the best interpretations of him.
Ned Kelly (2003), by Gregor Jordan
Ledger previously worked with Jordan on his fictional debut as a lead actor in the highly engaging thriller Two Hands . The actor from Perth returned to his homeland as an established actor in Hollywood to star in the story of the most famous bandit in Australian history, Ned Kelly, sharing a plane with Orlando Bloom. Although the film did not work in theaters, it presents an impressive performance by Ledger, also demonstrating his skill in horseback riding, since he was an actor who avoided being doubled in action scenes. As an example, the precious prologue of it.
The Dark Knight (2008), by Christopher Nolan
It is the best composition of the Joker ever seen. Not Cesar Romero, not Jack Nicholson, not Jared Leto, not, that’s right, Joaquin Phoenix. The magnetism that he gives off in Christopher Nolan’s film is something that has not been matched by a villain in contemporary cinema. His interpretation earned him the Golden Globe and the posthumous Oscar and raised a film to the category of milestone in its genre.
Candy (2006), by Neil Armfield
It is one of the unknown jewels that inhabit his filmography. Again, shot in her native country. At the controls, his friend Neil Armfield, who directed this love story corrupted by drug addiction reminiscent of Requiem for a Dream . Alongside Abbie Cornish, he gave a sensational performance that highlighted the versatility of an actor that had no limits in his records.
Brokeback Mountain (2006), by Ang Lee
Annie Proulx, author of the story on which Ang Lee’s masterpiece is based, sent a dedicated copy of one of her books to all the film’s protagonists. A different text appeared on the cover of the Ledger volume: “For you, Ennis.” Proulx revealed that the characterization of the Aussie actor touched her in such a way that she surpassed the expectations that she had built on prose. We are facing the best interpretation of the millennium so far.
10 Reasons to Hate You (1999), by Gil Junger
We end with more than just a nice movie. Time, that wise man who rearranges everything, has left this remarkable teen film in the right place, deeper than what could be expected beforehand. Junger’s feature film marked Ledger’s debut in the United States prior to his success as a co-star in The Patriot – Roland Emmerich’s underrated play directed by Mel Gibson – and shared the stage with two terrific actors: Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. . Heath Ledger, once again, expires charisma. The most significant trait of this compulsive chess player that he never stopped imagining, to give his best. His passage through this world has left an indelible mark.
