Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger
Heathcliff Andrew Ledgerwas an Australian actor and director. After performing roles in Australian television and film during the 1990s, Ledger left for the United States in 1998 to develop his film career. His work comprised nineteen films, including 10 Things I Hate About You, The Patriot, A Knight's Tale, Monster's Ball, Ned Kelly, The Brothers Grimm, Lords of Dogtown, Brokeback Mountain, Casanova, Candy, I'm Not There, The Dark Knightand The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. He also produced and directed music...
NationalityAustralian
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth4 April 1979
CityPerth, Australia
CountryAustralia
I am not a public speaker and never will be.
[I'm] an extremely private dude and all this is happening so damn quick. I really haven't had any time to rationalize it. But it's nothing that I'm going to let freak me out or take control of me or my thoughts or my real life.
I sat around in a hotel room in London for about a month, locked myself away, formed a little diary and experimented with voices - it was important to try to find a somewhat iconic voice and laugh. I ended up landing more in the realm of a psychopath - someone with very little to no conscience towards his acts
From 18 to 22, I was alone, living in L.A. with a bunch of friends, partying.
I'm sure drugs and alcohol perhaps would inspire new thoughts, but it's certainly not something that I use as a tool or a mechanism to create.
I never really cared much for Hollywood or movies. But the curiosity for filmmaking, and expanding myself as an actor and my curiosity for people and portraying them, just has grown. And that's from simply being involved in the industry. But it was never a goal of mine as a kid.
The first memory I have, anyway, I guess - I think it was my second birthday and the cake came out with the candles and I was very excited and I was, like, "Oh! A cake!" and then my cousin blew out the candles. I was so disappointed. It just broke my heart. And so that's stamped in my brain.
I've never had high expectations of my work and I certainly am not going to let that plague my thoughts. I'm just going to continue to choose what feels right for me at the time and go with it.
I'm not a big fan of western movies and I really don't like cowboy-indian movies. I have never watched them.
I think your personal evolution runs hand in hand with your professional evolution. Performance and the person you are kind of grow simultaneously.
We're actors at the end of the day. I don't take it home with me. My experience outside of work, I love... when I hear wrap, it's the most exciting part of my day. I'm the first to have my make-up off, in the car, out. I've gotta go home. I want to get back to my life. I love it back there.
You have to be willing to be manipulated in the first place because you can either recognize that in your director and then fight it because you don't trust them, but I'm not going to let them manipulate me. Or you think they're on to something and that they're manipulating something out of you which is interesting and new.
In a way, I was spoon-fed, if you will, a career. It was fully manufactured by a studio that believed that they could put me on their posters and turn me into their bottle of Coca-Cola, their product.
I want to do theatre. I love theatre.