Heath Ledger in his own Words

[TOoP/Bruce]

"I was obsessed with Monty Python films, The Life of Brian and The Holy Grail. My god, I so desperately wanted to be in that movie, I used to run around pretending I was one of the knights. And whilst shooting we were constantly quoting from his movies. But even since then I have loved his films; Baron Munchausen, Fear and Loathing, Fischer King and of course Brazil. He has been on the top of my list of directors I wanted to work with."

"Q; Which directors would you like to work with?


Heath Ledger: (laughs). I knew you would ask me that! Look, I couldn’t give you a list because it’s a really long list and half of them are dead."

"Q: You said earlier that you had this sense of your life speeding up. Did you mean professionally or because you are about to become a father?

Heath Ledger: I feel like with impending fatherhood life is going to speed up. I feel like from the day that happens it will go a lot faster. That’s why I’ve reminded myself to appreciate it (points to ‘old man river tattoo..’)."

[MaineWriter]

This quote was in the very first post of Bruce's:

[TOoP/Bruce]

"I've thrown an egg. Not at (the paparazzi) just kind of next to them so it splatters up against them."

"That's how pathetic it is. That's what we're reduced to. You can't actually stand up and slap them. When they kind of spy in on you and you're trying to like bathe out in the sun, and you're with your girlfriend and your friends and your family - it actually feels like you're getting a slap across the face.

"And we can't physically stand up and hit them back, of course - it would be rude and against the law. So you just get an egg."

[TOoP/Bruce]

"I never went to acting school; I never had acting classes or lessons. And so for that reason, I’ve never had a dark room and a black pair of pajamas to walk around in and be creative and make mistakes in a dark room where no one can see you. All my mistakes are on film -- my growing process and learning process is documented. [Alonso laughs] And it always will be -- I want to keep on evolving from here. But yeah, I guess I did somewhat stumble into it. Before I got into the movies, I couldn’t care less about films; I’d barely seen any films. My curiosity about movies and making films kind of came upon making my first film, when I started making actual movies. That’s when the curiosity came. It certainly wasn’t before then -- my parents didn’t raise me on watching movies."

"Sydney is considered the gay capital of the world. But as you said too, we have a prime minister that’s… I don’t even want to go into it, but he’s definitely George Bush’s buddy. Unfortunately. So yeah, it is confusing. I think it’s like the red states in America, so to speak -- there’s definitely issues that they have, which I think are just issues that they have with themselves, obviously. I think it still exists in Australia too -- it’s just disguised better. It’s more passive, I think. It’s hard to answer for a nation."

"...it’s still a shame that you’re forced into studying accents, but there’s very few Australian parts. Actually, recently I just finished a movie in Australia called Candy, and it’s a love story between two Australian junkies, and that was the first time I could use my own accent in almost eight years. It was really liberating to just…I’d forgotten how free you are to just roam about with your voice and improvise and breathe in your actions and not be conscious of the words that are coming from your mouth. So that was fucking brilliant -- I really, really loved it. I’m gonna go back and do more for that reason; it was just so freeing."

"Having played Ennis, on the off chance that your child comes to you with the “Dad, I’m gay” speech, do you think you’re ready to hear it now?

Oh, it wouldn’t have bothered me beforehand. I don’t have a further appreciation for people who are gay; I always have. It’s never been an issue for me. Of course, if my child came to me and said that, I’d love them even more for being honest with me."

[TOoP/Bruce]

Promoting "I'm not There"

“I feel the same way about everything I do. The day I say, ‘It’s good’ is the day I should start doing something else.”

“I think it’s one of those films that you have to kind of accept and invite instead of trying to challenge and solve."  “Bob Dylan himself defies description, and I think Todd was aiming to represent him. He was not trying to sum him up or define him.”

“Some people find their shtick." “I’ve never figured out who ‘Heath Ledger’ is on film: ‘This is what you expect when you hire me, and it will be recognizable.’”

“People always feel compelled to sum you up, to presume that they have you and can describe you. That’s fine. But there are many stories inside of me and a lot I want to achieve outside of one flat note.”

[TOoP/Bruce]

From IMDb:


"I prefer to date older women because they don't try to act older like younger girls but because they try to act younger."

"It's a little uncomfortable doing love scenes in armor, but, you know, when the heat's on, the heat's on." - Access Hollywood, August 2000

[about the paparazzi] "Most of the time you don't even know they're there. Now, that's the scary thing. It's really strange and invading, but I'm still working it all out. I try to not let it bother me. I really try and find the humour in all of it. And if I want to swim naked in my pool, I'm still going to do it. I certainly don't want to feel that I have to change everything in my life that I do to cater to them. I just won't let it happen." - National Post, May 2001

"I don't have a technique. I've never been a believer in having one set technique on how to act. There are no rules and there is no rulebook. At the end of the day, it all comes down to my instincts. That's the one thing that guides me through every decision professionally. Socially, also. That's my technique. Yeah, you read through the script 100 times. I guess I have little characteristics about myself. Sometimes, most often than not, once we start shooting I won't look at the script at all until we finished shooting. It's kind of like it's been imprinted in my head during rehearsals. You just let it go." - Reel.com, May 2001

"I'm the worst auditioner, really, really bad. I mean, you're being judged and I'm just so aware of it that it consumes me. I can't relax, I'm tied in knots, so the voice is very taut and tense. You're so aware that you're acting 'cause you're sitting across from this lady with a piece of paper who's going, ''I'm. Going. To. Shoot. You. If. You. Don't. Blah, blah, blah,'' in this emotionless voice. It's foul. I hate it." - EW.com, May 2001

People just love to bash LA. People say it's so pretentious, so arrogant, so this and that. But it's truly a wonderful place. You don't have to go to the places where that stuff goes on. You don't have to go to Beverly Hills, you don't have to go to the parties. You can live up in the Lower Canyon and live such a perfectly healthy, beautiful, fun life with all your friends. You can drive two hours one way and be at the Joshua Tree desert, two hours one way you're skiing at Big Bear. Sure, it can get full-on and that's why it's good to get out. But it's too easy just to say, "Nup, I hate it. I'm not living there anymore. - NW Magazine, March 2000

[about growing up with his mom and his sisters] I learned respect for women, and patience. You grow up with all those women around you...you learn to wait your turn. - Cosmopolitan, June 1998

[mariez]

Bruce, thank you so much for the wonderful compilation of quotes and pictures. 

I love listening to Heath's own voice. 

What an absolutely beautiful man - and I'm not talking about his looks  (although they are beautiful, too  )
 
Marie

[TOoP/Bruce]

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1580237/20080124/story.jhtml?rsspartner=rssColdFusion

Jan 24 2008 3:16 PM EST

Heath Ledger's Recent Voice Mail To Hometown Paper Reflected Stressful Life: Report

Actor thanked Australian publication for 'giving me space and respecting my privacy.'
By Conor Bezane

A recently revealed voice mail that Heath Ledger left late last month for an Australian-newspaper film editor is offering a fresh glimpse into the recently deceased actor's personal life. In the message, the Oscar-nominated actor graciously thanked the media for allowing him privacy, alluded to his "Dark Knight" plans for 2008 and spoke of his adoration for his hometown of Perth, where he reportedly spent Christmas. But he also hinted at his stressful life.

The West Australian, a Perth-based newspaper, posted the text of Ledger's voice mail in an article that appeared earlier this week; it was also referenced in a story in the Thursday (January 24) edition of The Sydney Morning Herald. The original article was written by Katie Hampson (the Katie Ledger reportedly mentioned in the message is his sister), based on a message left with West Australian film editor Mark Naglazas on December 30. Naglazas was not available for comment and is on vacation, according to his voice mail; Hampson and editors at The West Australian could not be reached for comment at press time.

Here is a transcript of the voice mail:

"Hey Mark, it's Heath again, Katie's brother.

"Yes, listen, if I don't catch you, 'cause I leave soon, basically I don't have anyone else to call, and I thought, as I've spoken to you before, I thought I'd ring up and just send some thanks out there to the peeps at The West Australian and The Sunday Times and everyone in Perth in general.

"I don't know whether it's a conscious thing or an unconscious thing, giving me space and respecting my privacy. It's just been awesome, and I've had the most beautiful time back here and being able to see all my friends and family, let alone the press and the people within the community of Perth, it's been so lovely.

"It's really enabled me to be a boy again from home and feel like I'd never left. Like I said, I'm not sure whether it's a conscious decision on the paper's part or not to kind of give me this space, but they have, and I truly, truly thank them for it, and it makes my life a life when I come back here.

"I know you're probably not the man to print this, but you can certainly pass this on to your compatriots, and that's really it, just sending my love and thanks to the city of Perth because it's truly been an incredibly therapeutic and a much-needed trip home, and just that little touch has made it all that more special to me.

"So feel free to use this message as my interview as such, and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and certainly a Happy New Year.

"If I don't speak to you before I leave, I will no doubt be talking to you probably next year when Batman comes out — and Batman goes down in fact.

"Thanks for listening to my longwinded message — like I said, feel free to use it and pass it on to someone who can type it out, and thanks again.

"OK, bye bye."

[TOoP/Bruce]

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=90305

HEATH LEDGER TALKS JOKER
by Daniel Robert Epstein

I recently got the chance to talk with Heath Ledger at a press roundtable for the movie Candy. While on the hot seat I got the chance to grill Ledger about his upcoming role of The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Daniel Robert Epstein: Have you started to think about how you will play The Joker?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. I’ve been trying to delay my commitment to the preparation process on that because I’m trying to extend my holiday time. I definitely have an image in my head. I definitely have something up my sleeve. I want to be very sinister. It’s so early that I’m trying to be open at this point. I don’t want to be glued down to anyone.

DRE: Have you read many Batman comics?

HL: No and I think that’s kind of helping me a little bit. I was never really a fan of comic books or comic book movies. I never despised them but I was never one to read them. I never sought out the films but I would sit down and enjoy them. So because of that I really feel that I’m not carrying much pressure.

DRE: Have they given or asked you to read certain comics?

HL: The Killing Joke was the one that was handed to me. I think it’s going to be the beginning of The Joker. I guess that book explains a little bit of where he’s from but not too much. From what I’ve gathered, there isn’t a lot of information about The Joker and it’s left that way.

DRE: Is doing the role of The Joker scary after Jack Nicholson did it so well?

HL: I’m not going for the same thing he went for. That would be stupid. It is also two very different directors with different styles. Tim Burton did a more fantastical kind of thing and Chris Nolan is doing nitty gritty handheld realism. I love what [Jack] did and that is part of why I want to do that role. I remember seeing it and thinking how much fun it would be to put on that mask and attempt to do something along those lines. But it would obviously be murder if I tried to imitate what he did.

DRE: They’re talking about bringing in the co-creator of The Joker, Jerry Robinson, as a consultant on The Dark Knight. I don’t know if it would be more of an honorary title.

HL: It probably is [laughs].

DRE: Have you ever wanted to do superhero movies before?

HL: Not really. With the tights and undies and the boots, I would just feel stupid and silly. I couldn’t pull it off and there are other people who can perfectly. But I just couldn’t take myself seriously. I feel like this is an opportunity to be in one and not do that. I just gravitated towards the villain role because I felt I had something to give to it. I instantly had an idea.

DRE: Have you done screen tests with The Joker makeup yet?

HL: No, but I did do 3-D image scanning. I don’t know what they’re doing with it. This Bat truck turned up at my place in L.A.. It had these gadgets and cameras that zoom around you and up and down you. It instantly projects a three dimensional image of you. I’ve never used anything that high tech before in a film. I felt like I was in the truck from Knight Rider.

[Artiste]

Thanks very, very much Bruce! This helps greatly to remember him!

Heath did not settle for a shell!! He did what he wanted, which is wonderful!!

Love it. Endearing words, he speaks.

His instincts are some too for all of us, with ours instincts to try to make the world better for ourselves and others!!

Like him, I loved living in Los Angeles!!

Again thanks Bruce and keep on please adding such great words of his!! We learn value of respect from you dear, cher, Heath, for oneselves and for others - thanks forever!!