conundrum did heaths' immense talent lead to his untimely death?

[optom3]

I have been pondering this for some time now.I will try to stick to facts here as much as possible but some speculation may just creep in.
Heath was unquestionably a supremely talented actor,and it would appear that in part ,his talent lay in his seemingly inate ability,to literally crawl under the skin and become that character.

He at some point ceased  merely acting and became.In view of some of the roles he took on,this must have become fairly harrowing.In one post BBM interview he stated that the role of Casanova was almost like a holiday,as it allowed him to relax.

This supreme talent was coupled with what seemed to be an inherent dislike of all the attention and accolades that talent conferred on him.

So it seems we are left with a conundrum.The better he became,the more attention he attracted.Not only that,but as he strived to immerse himself deeper and deeper into character,the more unsettled he seemed to become.Art spilled into life and suddenly the boundaries became blurred.

We will never know whether  his tragic death was caused, simply by a desperate need for some sleep and peace on his part,coupled with a lack of knowledge as to how such a cocktail would react together.Nor if we ever did find out would it lesson the tragedy or pain of such a loss.

What I wonder is ,as I look back on other gifted and talented artists of all genres,taken too soon,does that talent eventually prove to be their downfall.

Is it necessary for true talent, at least in some instances, to be the product of a troubled soul. There has to be IMHO at least a grain of truth in the phrase,that there is a thin line between genius and insanity.

I am not in any way suggesting that Heath was insane,before I am shot down in flames.I cannot express eloquently enough how high an esteem I held him in.
He just struck me as that tragic combination ,of immense talent,unable to live with either the talent or its consequences. A pattern which seems repeated since time immemorial.

I am sure there are plenty of very talented "artists" around who do not fit this pattern.What is so sad is that there seem to be too many who do.



Your thoughts would as always be appreciated. Agreee,disagree,make me rethink,whatever.

[forsythia12]

those are very good points.  i'm going to think about them, and i'll reply with any thoughts i come up with.
thanks fiona!

[LauraGigs]

My initial thoughts, FWIW...

I couldn't agree more that with great talent comes great awareness and sensitivity (I would imagine it's particularly true with acting talent).  Almost a hyper-awareness. 

There are things in life that are so sad and so disturbing that to a certain extent, we have to block them out to keep sane — you know what I mean? (e.g. you read awful news, and then at a certain point fold the newspaper up and say "I'm done".)  But for great artists there's a bit less of an escape, because a lot of art is a reflection of the world (both the outside world and your inner emotional world), and you must keep in touch with it in order to draw from it. 

Couple that with — in Heath's case — a bit of a hyperkinetic streak.  An inability to "switch off".  Your mind keeps racing; you can't "quiet" it.  He referred to this specifically when he mentioned his insomnia to the press.


However, there are a lot of talented people who live to old age.  Not that they're any less tortured.  They abuse their bodies, don't take care of themselves, get run down, etc. 

So why Heath?  Why did he die from a combination of small doses of legal drugs — when others have been much more careless with their bodies and gotten away with it?  Blind, dumb luck.  Survivable combinations in their case, a lethal combination in his.  It could be somebody else tomorrow.

 

[ifyoucantfixit]

           I have been thinking of these same thoughts.. Ever since the tragedy of Heaths death.

           As you say he did become the character.  Not just portray them.  I think that before he was
so immensely popular.  He could have time to (come down) for lack of a better term.  Between his
movies and get back to the real him.  He mentioned on the interviews how some roles were so
difficult and painfully exhausting..  Brokeback being one.  I am sure Monsters Ball, another.  And
of course the role of the Joker, and the role in Im not there.  They were all so terribly deep and
difficult. 
           And since he had gotten so in demand.  He was then starting to work back to back to
back.  Not enough down time, to restore his batteries i guess.  It became cumulative I think.
He could no longer get out of the last character before the next one had started.  Therefor he
finally got to the point where it was a constant on......so to speak...thus no sleep......thus the
pills to help him sleep..and the rest is pretty obvious...
            So i suppose in my opinion he became a
victim of his own success.  It he had not became to adept.  He wouldnt have been so much
rewarded by more offers.  And so on and so on a vicious circle to quote a cliche. 
It is almost a which came first kind of an issue......The talent and the fame, or the destruction.

[louisev]

I think that the reason why Daniel Day-Lewis made such a heartfelt tribute to Heath when he won his award, was because Day-Lewis understood Heath, as an actor, in a way few would - because he too is a method actor. Day-Lewis became well known for how deeply he sank into his roles, keeping his accent and wardrobe on full time, etc.  Day-Lewis has always been very cautious about the roles he has taken, and takes long breaks between them, because to him they are experiences in immersion, and never taken lightly, nor does he recover quickly from each.  The results are on the screen.  The reason we are so moved by the transformation Heath makes in becoming Ennis on the screen is due to this immersion, and it is not a light duty.  It is possible that had Heath survived, he would eventually have concluded that he too would need long decompression periods between roles in order to maintain a better balance in his life.

[optom3]

those are very good points.  i'm going to think about them, and i'll reply with any thoughts i come up with.
thanks fiona!

Thankyou, for being such a sweetie,I will look forward to your illuminating thoughts.