Heath's newest movie, Candy, just had its premiere in Australia. The little bit I've read, it's getting good reviews but they are saying it's small, art house. It is supposed to open in the US eventually but I suspect that it will not come to the towns that many of us inhabit. In the spirit of the news sleuth from the old Chez Tremblay, here is an interesting article:
Stars fail to come out for premiere
Dan Box
02may06
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,18996267,00.htmlTHE movie posters either side of the red carpet promised Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish and Geoffrey Rush, but all three stars failed to appear last night at the national premiere of the Australian film Candy.
Only one of the film's leading actors, Noni Hazlehurst, attended the show at Sydney's Dendy Opera Quays cinema.
And apart from a few film heavy-hitters such as Oscar-winning director Jane Campion and actor Rachel Ward, the celebrity contingent was a touch light on.
Movie critic Margaret Pomeranz was pointed out as a celebrity guest.
Russell Crowe had also been flagged as likely to attend, but was a no-show.
"It's really disappointing for the film," said Hazlehurst, 52, who plays the title character's mother in the movie.
"Most American movies have promotion budgets bigger than our movie budget, so we need all the help we can get."
The film's director, Neil Armfield, said Ledger, 26, decided against risking another run-in with photographers, some of whom squirted him with water at the premiere of Brokeback Mountain and later chased him to his family home in the city's eastern suburb of Bronte.
"Heath would have been here. In fact, Heath would have lived here but for the paparazzi," Armfield, 51, said.
"He wanted to live in Australia but felt so humiliated by what happened with the opening of Brokeback Mountain he said it was clearly too early to move back. I think that is a statement."
Cornish, 23, was due to return for the premiere but has been held up in Europe filming Elizabeth: The Golden Age alongside Rush and Australian Oscar winner Cate Blanchett. The film is the sequel to Blanchett's 1998 hit Elizabeth.
Rush, who plays a drug manufacturer in Candy, has also stayed with the Elizabeth project, which is now in its last week of rehearsals before filming.
Candy is both the name of Cornish's character and slang for heroin, while the intimate film depicts her descent into madness because of addiction to the drug.
It is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Luke Davies, 44, himself addicted to heroin for more than a decade.