Actor Heath Ledger dies

:(

Really too bad.  A fine and brave actor.

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by: tony2 @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 16:40:35 PM CST

I will miss him.

One brave man who will be greatly missed, by me.

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by: BUCK @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 17:21:55 PM CST

Brad Renfro's dead too?! Do I not own a TV?

Anyway, Re Heath. This is how I'll always remember him:

Letters to Cleo

I Want You To Want Me - Clip from 10 Things I Hate About You

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by: Emproph @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 17:44:21 PM CST

Can't wait for the Freepers comments

They'll blame his death on being a gay cowboy and getting AIDS on Brokeback Mountain.

You can lead a fool to knowledge, but you can't make him think.  

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by: Dianne @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 18:10:12 PM CST

Heath Ledger

I know that for people, like myself who have had a pretty full sex life, and aren't very romantic, the impactfulness of the Brokeback Mtn. situation was somewhat unmoving. However, I do know that despiration, from growing up in the country. Somehow I really wonder if the movie couldn't have been a metaphor for his real life. It's just antithetical to anything that makes sense to  assume that all of those actors are straight.  He played the charactor Ennis so realistically that I can't help think that it wasn't real. The marriage with Michele, which  split up happened almost too conveniently.  If that's true, what a conflict, and a sad statement about  the Hollywood closet, which I'm sure is worse than most others.  It looked like a suicide.

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by: mcshane @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 18:48:27 PM CST

Um

...it seems like you might be making a lot of assumptions here... could only a gay person play the role of a gay cowboy? Would being gay be the only reason he might have (MIGHT?) have committed suicide? Is every drug death a suicide?

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by: CathyG @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 18:52:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Agree

And I hate to break it to anyone, but playing gay in a movie isn't that hard. Actors reach beyond themselves all the time; there's no basis for assuming that "gay" is the one acting job which cannot be faked well, that it must reflect some internal identity.

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by: torrentprime @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 19:18:44 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Well put, torrentprime

It is perhaps arguably subtly homophobic to presume that no "real" straight guy could be a convincing gay guy.  I mean, wouldn't they just go "ew"?  Oh, maybe they are not actually straight!

Heath Ledger was a skilled actor who took on the part with seriousness and maturity, and acted in accordance with the part.  In interviews people would ask him (not without homophobia), "How could you do such a thing?" (e.g., passionately kiss a man), and his answer was basically, "That's what Ennis would do" or some other kind of obvious statement that avoided the implicit insult(s) of the question.  He was perhaps too modest to say that good actors act in a way that is thoroughly authentic for their character, while bad actors run away from their character.  He otherwise clearly didn't want to endorse the implicit (or explicit) homophobia.

Also, an obvious point may be made that many a gay actor (professional or otherwise) has been a very convincing heterosexual.

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by: KC @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 21:16:07 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Torrent& KC Re: ledgers sexuality

It's intriging how much concern you have invested in Heath being straight. I actually think that it would be easier foor a straight guy to act the role of  somone just breaking out of the closet and having sex for the first time with a man (sex, not love, since their wasn't any competition around.) His clumseyness, agressiveness, and lack of feeling would be tyopical of someone in the closet and might be hardest for a gay actor to portray.
That was part of the point I was making.
I suspect that gay actors who are expected to be straight truly make a faustian agreement of fame and money forexhibiting their feelings.
Right off hand I can think of several Ausralian and Welsh actors whorecently were openly gay and became famous only after they disavowed their sexuality. Now they have top rating and wives or girlfriends etc. I was only speculating about Ledger, because of people's fondness for Hollywood mythmaking. An adjacent fact is that he soon divorced Michelle who he married at the time of BBMtn to undermine any gossip(maybe). Why are so many guys in stage acting gay and so few in Hollywood. Notice no one mentions that in the coverage.  Ask yourselves why it's so important that he be straight and wouldn't it be sad if he wasn't--if the Hollywood closet isn't cruel.

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by: mcshane @ Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 19:08:33 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Drugs and Death

Cathy: no all drug deaths are not suicide especially intervenous. It's pretty hard to OD unintentionally on pills unless you are drinking a lot.  My post was  taken hopefully, as intended : to stimulate thought. It's interesting that  so many people have energy invested in Ledgers  being straight. He recentkly was divorced from michelle (who he married after the movie) and he was in another womans's apeartment.

I don't know; I think that that role was about clumsey first SEX, not love at all and might have been easier for a straight  guy to act.. I'm just raising the question.

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by: mcshane @ Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 17:25:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

I don't see that scenario as likely

The only "evidence" that Heath Ledger was gay was that he played a gay character convincingly (as did Jake Gyllenhaal).  I think he was a highly skilled actor working under an extremely able director (Ang Le).

I've never been a movie star fan or worshipper, but Brokeback Mountain affected me like no other movie, and I feel immense appreciation for all who were involved in it.  As such I am sad at the loss of Mr. Ledger.

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by: KC @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 19:10:31 PM CST

[ Parent ]

No, you don't know that.

I know that for people, like myself who have had a pretty full sex life, and aren't very romantic, the impactfulness of the Brokeback Mtn. situation was somewhat unmoving.

Who are those people you talk about?

How about being moved because it was a great film, politics and romanticism aside?  Ang Lee has mad many terrific movies, and many of us are sensitive to what he accomplishes on the screen.  The fact that it was a gay story made it all the more terrific.

Any more than any of your other assumptions before the facts come out.  Does Anthony Hopkins eat people?  I know you're not a troll, but I find this post extremely annoying.

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by: Tomistocles @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 19:23:36 PM CST

[ Parent ]

LOVE? Brokeback?

Tomistocles: your nom de plume gives the impression that you're a thinker-which does suggest that provocative thought,  where you cannot really put politics or romanticism aside,  would be be less "extremely annoying" and more challenging than anything. Your "annoyance" gives away a certain sad provicialism and  lack of curiousity, which the film -while an elegant peice of cinematography, stimulates as interesting in content and brings up a lot of pertinant and facinating questions. If irritation is your response to uncertainty, then so be it.
The situation in which all of these people lived was impoverished in many ways;  particularly, thier was a lack of affection or (homo)sexuality. Was this really a romantic love, or was it just a rare opportunity for two lonely guys to get it on, if more like people were available would they all might have have been screwing each other, with equal attention. On the political side, A. Sullivan has perpetuated the myth that a heteronormative suburban marriage would solve everyones problems. That dismisses our real potentials for relationships.
In fact, as Edmond Wilson remarked, in urban situations  where sex is casual, since partnerships give to little and ask to much , are the norm; people develope circles of friends which satisfy the most extreme affectional needs. perhaps, just perhaps Ennis & Jake were just despirate and hungry for sex.
Is that plausible. I first of all though that I had missed something, but one of the reasons why I personally thought that being straight was a drag is that women are so demanding of something exclusive exceeding sex, and I like a variety of friends. Perhasps the situation itself is deceptive.
. Good luck  

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by: mcshane @ Fri Jan 25, 2008 at 10:00:26 AM CST

[ Parent ]

What?

McShane,

Given that you  are a  gay men who (as you admit) has had a lot of sex but seem to have no emotion attached to it,  I am not surprised that you cannot see the beauty of this movie.  Heath could get to the emotion because he understood the tenderness of love--THAT cuts across sexuality lines.

What scares me though is a person who can do something as intimate as sex and not be somewhat romantic.  I was hooch in my day but always connected to the guy I was sleeping with on some level.  

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by: zanychris @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 16:30:07 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Love& sex in BB. Mtn.

I came out a little before the HI V was  at least know to be an issue and always took sex to be more of a sport  than anything-In San Francisco & NTC that was topsy turvey & fun but a little boaring after a while.  I never even kissed anyone that I recall.

I found myself a little sad that I was always pretty unable to relate to guys in any other way, isnce people would try to establish more report and it  has been hard for me. i think, from talking to straight guys that much of the affection is for the woman's sake, not theirs.

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by: mcshane @ Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 17:11:41 PM CST

[ Parent ]

This just makes me immensely sad

Ledger was a gifted actor and his role in Brokeback Mountain was just one of the most moving things I've ever seen.  

I don't get into celebrity worship culture, but I do feel a personal affinity for people who have done something I think of as a social good.  Brokeback Mountain, and especially his part in it, was a major social good, as far as I'm concerned.  It transformed the points of view of people across the country and put a human face to gay men that had been sorely lacking in mainstream movies, which often depicted gay men as either social eunichs or flamboyantly over the top.  There's nothing wrong with either of those as part of the spectrum of the behavior of gay men overall, but as primary roles in mainstream movies, it's a bit thin.  

Ledger, along with his director and costars, managed to bring human faces to the plight of those of us who live under the threat of violence for the nature of our very beings.  For the loss of someone so willing to give of himself to play such a part, I'm going to miss his work dearly.

I'm only a click away.

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by: JulieWaters @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 19:41:05 PM CST

didn't think it would happen once..

let alone twice...broke my damn heart all over again...

http://sfist.com/2008/01/22/a_...

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by: Patrick @ Tue Jan 22, 2008 at 21:02:04 PM CST

Willie Nelson

You and me both.

The film just comes flooding back to my mind...and the almost spooky sound of Willie Nelson's "He Was a Friend of Mine" at the end.

So sad.

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by: dr haber @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 10:45:31 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Apparently the apartment was owned by one of the Olsen twins

Weird. I didn't think he hung in those mini-celeb circles. I'm so downcast; he was such a great actor and he had a lens-splitting smile.  

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by: steerpike66 @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 01:44:06 AM CST

picketing

I want to picket Fred Phelps's funeral.

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by: johnnyleen @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 08:30:05 AM CST

Oooo!

That would be fun. Can we make it a picnic?

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by: Fiona @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 09:11:21 AM CST

[ Parent ]

the only appropriate way to picket the phelpses

is with signs that say "we love you".  because those people are severely emotionally damaged.  they feel like shit, so do things to get others to say punishing things to them.  what they really need to know, deep down, is that they are good and lovable people.  i don't like what they do, but i feel sorry for anyone who has gone through a lifetime of emotional hell.

Click HERE and sign up: Campaign For Military Partners.

Lurleen on Twitter.

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by: Lurleen @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 12:03:18 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Hmmm...

Love where you're going Lurleen, but I'm actually thinking that simple "What is your relevance?" / "What are you doing here?" / "What does this serve?" or "This? This is your #1 priority?" in Helvetica Bold on billboard size signs sound better to me. I mean, do we really love them? I sure don't. Never have and never will. Sorta bearing false witness. 

Make these signs large enough, surround their group given the legal distance and all and maybe over time something will click--probably not with Phelps himself. I'd rather be in their face with simple questions rather than statements I don't believe we really mean.

I'm totally with you that these people are really damaged. Saying "We Love You" just don't seem right. Getting them to think for themselves for a change? Maybe. It'll take time. I'm a Barbara Kruger fan so that's my angle.

Curses! My million dollar ideas foiled again: "God Bless Your Brand!" http://www.christvertising.com/

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by: TJ McFisty @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 13:45:28 PM CST

[ Parent ]

They are about as lovable as angry ferrets!

... With mange.

<3 Sam

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by: Samie D @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 22:02:03 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Loss of a great actor.

I love the "L Word" so it's not like I'm not used to seeing non-straight characters on TV or the movies.  But I was probably the very last person on the planet to not see "Brokeback Mountain."  So, I'm wondering the stacks in FYE the other day and see a copy for sale.  Ok, it's about time, so I buy it.

Wow. Why did I wait so long?

Then I wake up the next day and see that Ennis, er, Keith Ledger had passed away.  Wow. What a tragic loss to us all, gay or straight.

Good movies always make me cry.  Now, I'll probably cry all over again every time I watch it.

Jill Jay
Phoenix

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by: Jill.Jay @ Wed Jan 23, 2008 at 12:11:34 PM CST