if she'd written this as a story about a fictional actor, Heath fans might have recognized the source but the fictionalizing could have served as a plot device and people could judge the story on its merits and/or demerits. And that wouldn't exactly be a revolutionary device; it's worked on Law and Order for years and in literature and theatre in general for who knows how long.
That's exactly what I was thinking. A roman à clef with characters recognizable from real life, but which can also stand as fiction on its own strengths, is fine. But fiction that coyly half-feigns being "journalism" isn't.