First of all a
to Kelda. No worries.
I was going to make that same point, Natali - that the Perth funeral seemed to be for family and the family's friends. And that it's quite possible that the family expressed a wish that the other folks not attend to keep the media at bay.
Well, Cate Blanchett and Bryan Brown attended. They are movie stars/actors and previous co-stars in Heath's films - perhaps they were also personal friends, I do not know. But it hardly was an affair limited to the closest family friends, seems to me. As for only Aussies attending I think that must have had to do with the travel distance from the US/UK and the fact of the LA memorial services as much as anything - the Hollywood set had already had the opportunity to say their goodbyes, - but it seems unlikely to me that foreign co-star actors would have been specifically asked to not attend the Perth service.
The thing is, Jake's absence and silence is starting to draw as much attention as his attendance/speaking out would. It's a
damned if you do, damned if you don't situation in that regard. Scandinavia's largest paper, VG, has a short article on Heath's funeral today. Despite the briefness of the piece they do specifically make a point of mentioning that "Jake Gyllenhaal however was not present". So it's not just the Brokeback fan crowd making a point of this.
I think things had been easier for Jake if he had made some sort of short statement, through his publicist even, like Michelle did. That would ease the pressure and curiosity.... Jake must know that, so I feel a bit worried that he remains quiet despite that. Though I hesitate to interpret the silence.
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Del, I wasn't comparing Heath and la Dunst, very far from it - but it's not too long ago that I stumbled across someone's collection of photos of Jake with Kirsten on the net, and there could be little doubt from those that they were very much in love once, and in Hollywood terms their relationship lasted long, too. So I would think Jake might also be upset about her being in a situation where she needs rehab, coming on top of what happened to Heath. But of course I am only speculating...