Heath Heath Heath

[mvansand76]

Not a word from the other Gyllenhaal either...

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/24/maggie-gyllenhaal-on-the-dark-knight/

Maggie Gyllenhaal On 'The Dark Knight'

Maggie Gyllenhaal made an unannounced appearance at ShoWest for The Dark Knight panel, and Superhero Hype managed to land an exclusive interview with her. I think this is the first time we've really heard from her regarding bat-stuff.

As expected from such a talented actress, she won't be simply mimicking her predecessor, Katie Holmes. "I think she's a wonderful actress and I really admired the work that she did in the first Batman, but I don't think it would have worked if I tried to imitate her. I think the only way to do it is to do it like myself." And because Christopher Nolan is a classy director, there won't be any winks or nods to the fact that Rachel Dawes is a new face. "They just (expect you to) suspend your disbelief. I'm Rachel Dawes now. I mean, how many Batmen have there been? Lots of them!" (Good point, girl!)
Ms. Gyllenhaal was asked if her character would have more physical scenes in the new film, and whether or not she was nervous about those. Her career hasn't had much mayhem, after all. (The spanking scenes in Secretary probably don't count.) "Somewhat," she responded. "They took really good care of me. I thought I might get bruised up but in fact, I didn't. They really knew what they were doing. I was scared to do some of the action stuff I had to do, and I did it once, and I was like, 'Oh, this is a blast!'" I hope Rachel gets to be a bit more of a badass in this movie, and not just a damsel in distress. She used her taser pretty effectively last time -- and it looks like she gets to deliver one heck of a solid punch on the Joker in the trailer. Hopefully it's one of several. I don't want her to be a gun-toting heroine, but Gyllenhaal has such an inherent strength about her. It would be a shame if that didn't appear onscreen.

[Fran]

Getting back to Jake's lack of a public statement, well, how difficult is it to release a statement through one's agent or press secretary?  Isn't that part of the reason actors have agents and press secretaries? 

You know, I wasn't expecting Jake to call a press conference or sit down for a televised interview or release a 16-paragraph eulogy.  A simple statement released to the public on the order of "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Heath, and my heart aches for his family and friends.  He will be missed" would have been sufficient for me and probably for lots of other people, too.

Yes, Jake is entitled to his privacy, and I'm certainly not expecting him to bear his soul to the public at large.  But he should have issued some sort of statement if for no other reason than because his fans were expecting one.  They wanted to hear from him.  For a good while there, Jake had many of his fans worried about how he was faring after Heath's death.  He owed those fans something for their concern.

I interpret his inaction as inconsideration and disrespect -- not toward Heath or his family but towards Jake's own fans.  When you're a celebrity, dealing with your fans is part of the package.  It's one of the prices you pay for your fame.  If you want to live in total obscurity, you don't become an actor.

I can understand why people are disappointed in him.

[oilgun]

Getting back to Jake's lack of a public statement, well, how difficult is it to release a statement through one's agent or press secretary?  Isn't that part of the reason actors have agents and press secretaries? 

You know, I wasn't expecting Jake to call a press conference or sit down for a televised interview or release a 16-paragraph eulogy.  A simple statement released to the public on the order of "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Heath, and my heart aches for his family and friends.  He will be missed" would have been sufficient for me and probably for lots of other people, too.

Yes, Jake is entitled to his privacy, and I'm certainly not expecting him to bear his soul to the public at large.  But he should have issued some sort of statement if for no other reason than because his fans were expecting one.  They wanted to hear from him.  For a good while there, Jake had many of his fans worried about how he was faring after Heath's death.  He owed those fans something for their concern.

I interpret his inaction as inconsideration and disrespect -- not toward Heath or his family but towards Jake's own fans.  When you're a celebrity, dealing with your fans is part of the package.  It's one of the prices you pay for your fame.  If you want to live in total obscurity, you don't become an actor.

I can understand why people are disappointed in him.

Well said Fran.  A simple statement like the one you wrote, written and issued by a rep, would have been enough.    I think his silence is a sign of disrespect not only to his fans but also to Heath, Michelle and his god-daughter Matilda.  (Or was this god-parent business just a rumour?)  First he undoes all the good that BbM did breaking down gay stereotypes when he made that embarrassing appearance on SNL, and now this.
Anyway, like I said before, he's dead to me now so I'm not sure why I'm still writing about him, lol!

[Brown Eyes]

It's not a rumor, Jake is most definitely Matilda's godfather.  There are plenty of interviews about this (including different  interviews where Jake, Heath and Michelle discuss this fact in various ways and contexts).

Anyway, like I said before, he's dead to me now so I'm not sure why I'm still writing about him, lol!

  This is really sad Bud! I'm so sorry that you feel this way.

[mvansand76]

Getting back to Jake's lack of a public statement, well, how difficult is it to release a statement through one's agent or press secretary?  Isn't that part of the reason actors have agents and press secretaries? 

You know, I wasn't expecting Jake to call a press conference or sit down for a televised interview or release a 16-paragraph eulogy.  A simple statement released to the public on the order of "I am deeply saddened by the loss of Heath, and my heart aches for his family and friends.  He will be missed" would have been sufficient for me and probably for lots of other people, too.

Yes, Jake is entitled to his privacy, and I'm certainly not expecting him to bear his soul to the public at large.  But he should have issued some sort of statement if for no other reason than because his fans were expecting one.  They wanted to hear from him.  For a good while there, Jake had many of his fans worried about how he was faring after Heath's death.  He owed those fans something for their concern.

I interpret his inaction as inconsideration and disrespect -- not toward Heath or his family but towards Jake's own fans.  When you're a celebrity, dealing with your fans is part of the package.  It's one of the prices you pay for your fame.  If you want to live in total obscurity, you don't become an actor.

I can understand why people are disappointed in him.

I couldn't have said it better, Fran! Thank you.

[Fran]

Well said Fran.  A simple statement like the one you wrote, written and issued by a rep, would have been enough.    I think his silence is a sign of disrespect not only to his fans but also to Heath, Michelle and his god-daughter Matilda. 

Thanks, Gil.

I don't think I can agree with you about the lack of respect towards Michelle and Matilda because it just may be that Jake did do something privately as far as paying his condolences to them.  I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as far as they're concerned since this is probably something we will never know anyway.

[MilAn]

When asked after the BAFTA ceremony if Ang Lee was the Godfather of Matilda, because Ang called himslef "matchmaker", Heath and Michelle said that it's Jake actually. Later during a press conference Jake confirmed he was the Godfather. Ever since press mentioned the fact every now and then.
It seemed that Jake and Heath were very close during BBM promotion, but we really can not know for sure how close they remained (you don't have to be close to your kid's Godparents btw). The one lived in L.A. the other in N.Y. I believe they saw each other every now and then, but that's about it. Each had their own life.
I'm sure Jake, when he heard about Heath's death was very sad, but i doubt he was as devastated as some claimed. He even went to a Rufus Wainwright concert days after Heath's death, or shopping in Soho with Reese over a month ago etc. Life has to go on and his main priority at the moment seems to be his girlfriend. I also didn't expect him to react like Jack Twist would have reacted if Ennis Del Mar had died before him. I can distinguish reality from fiction and while i understand that life goes on and he has other priorities in his real life, a statement/tribute would have been a sign of respect towards Heath, I personally appreciated all the tributes from Heath's family members, friends and colleagues. Jake for whatever reason, may it be personal or professional, decided not to do it and i don't think we will get anything from him. If we want it or not, we must accept it and move on.

[Mikaela]

It's strange, but voicing my opinion on this topic yesterday, after having kept it to myself for more than a month, helped me find some sort of closure concerning my disappointment over Jake's silence. Reading posts both in agreement and disagreement, both here and elsewhere, I find that though my personal opinion hasn't changed at all, I can now somehow manage to lay my hurt over this to rest. I'm glad that is so.

Whatever has happened and whatever is currently going on, what I most strongly recall now is that Jake and Heath together did give us this, a gift for the ages:

For the rest, at the moment I have finally reached a place where I can honestly borrow Jack Twist's words and say: Let be, let be....

[Ellemeno]

If Jake had wanted to distance himself from BBM or associations with gayness, would he have participated in that Saturday Night Live opening monologue where he sang falsetto in a huge wig and long shimmering dress while two men in cowboy hats swooned in the front row?  Or put Heath's photo up over his bed on the set of his most recent movie, as has been reported?

It seems like those two actions would have more consequences than a respectful few sentences about Heath's passing.

Dearest Heathens,

I want to apologize for writing the above in the Heath, Heath, Heath forum, when it's clearly off-topic.  I wish I hadn't, but what's done is done.  I will just try to keep to the topic of Heath in the future. 

To attempt to make amends, here are some pictures of our beloved.  Note what the shirt at the bottom says.

[belbbmfan]

It's strange, but voicing my opinion on this topic yesterday, after having kept it to myself for more than a month, helped me find some sort of closure concerning my disappointment over Jake's silence. Reading posts both in agreement and disagreement, both here and elsewhere, I find that though my personal opinion hasn't changed at all, I can now somehow manage to lay my hurt over this to rest. I'm glad that is so.

Whatever has happened and whatever is currently going on, what I most strongly recall now is that Jake and Heath together did give us this, a gift for the ages:

For the rest, at the moment I have finally reached a place where I can honestly borrow Jack Twist's words and say: Let be, let be....

Amen to that.