When Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins"" sequel ""The Dark Knight,"" was asked why Heath Ledger made the perfect candidate to play the Joker, he simply answered, ""He is fearless."" I personally never met Ledger, but from all I've heard and read, he was a good person and a great, promising, uncompromising actor. He was undoubtedly taken from the film community too soon.
But this column isn't about death and, frankly, enough has been said about the passing of this promising young actor that I don't have to rehash any more of the details. This story is a celebration of lives and lifetimes of work, not just Ledger's, but of every actor, director and film talent who has ever lived and then ceased to live.
One of the most remarkable things I think as I watch an old film is that most, if not all, of the people who had a hand in the film are now gone. It's not meant to depress me, but it symbolizes the legacy of film. Just as da Vinci forever has the Mona Lisa and Michael Jordan will always have his jump shot, Peter Sellers, John Ford and countless others have their filmographies. We can no longer see Fred and Ginger or Gene Kelly dance live, but we'll forever have ""Top Hat"" and ""Singin' in the Rain."" With apologies to Woody Allen, who once said he wanted to achieve immortality not through his work but rather by not dying, the former is a much more realistic option than the latter.
I always thought that Heath Ledger was an underrated talent who had the trappings of his own good looks holding him down, making him appear more of a matinee idol than a serious actor. But even in movies that could've easily rested on his pretty-boy image, like ""10 Things I Hate About You,"" ""A Knight's Tale"" and ""The Brothers Grimm,"" Ledger displayed the kind of superb character acting that separates mundane actors from the great talent. ""Brokeback Mountain"" was his launchpoint into the mainstream, taking a risky part and playing it sensitively and deftly. Heath leaves behind these performances for all of us to enjoy until the day film disappears, and hopefully we all remember him for his roles rather than his death.
Reportedly, all of Ledger's post-production work is finished on ""The Dark Knight,"" which has the dubious distinction of being his final film. According to most early reports and interviews, the part of the Joker could well be his best role to date. I, for many reasons, am hopeful that it is. This will give us one more chance to appreciate the legacy of a great actor. Like we did for those artists who passed on before him, we can always return to the roles that make us miss him all the more.
And, really, is there any better way to honor an artist than by appreciating their life's work?
If you would like to reminisce about the life and work of your favorite actor, director or film talent who has died, e-mail Brad at boron@wisc.edu.
