Today, the Oscar winner would have been 40 years old. How the Joker lives on after his tragic death even after eleven years ago.
He has that “certain something” that makes a “screen shine”, Mel Gibson gushed to Roland Emmerich as he swarmed the director of a youngster. His compatriot Heath Ledger – just twenty years old – was this figure of light. And the result of this recommendation was the war drama “The Patriot”. Ledger convinced as Gibson’s movie son. For him an early chance to show what’s in him. Everything. Joy and fire, love and lust, desire and burning.
Previously, he helped the teen comedy “10 Things I Hate With You” turn into a flashy adrenaline kick, then the history comedy “Knight of Passion” into a wild verve. Heath Ledger, a star was born. In his far too short film career, he made 19 Feature films. Many of them came to milestones like “Monster’s Ball”, for which Halle Berry received an Oscar, or the gay cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain”.
Heath Ledger could not pick up his Oscar. A few weeks after the grueling filming of the sinister
Batman movie “The Dark Knight”, he was found dead in his New York apartment at the age of 28 – carried away by an ultimately lethal mix of painkillers and sleeping pills.
The following day, a meeting with Steven Spielberg had actually been planned. The topic was the film project “Chicago Seven”, which wanted to work on the 68th political process against the revolutionists Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. A “consolation”: This film has been nothing until today. No consolation: Heath Ledgers now 13-year-old daughter Matilda Rose looks like the dad, but has to realize that all new men on the side of Michelle Williams cannot hold his own. Just like movie stars who have since mastered the screen – Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds or Bradley Cooper – not even close to his century talent.
Now Joaquin Phoenix is on the train, who climbs into the purple suit of the joker after Ledger and Jared Leto. Whether Ledger was the better scary clown than Phoenix will be, everyone has to decide for themselves. In the opinion of the brand new trailer of the new version of director Todd Phillips, one is however inclined to say: Heath forever! The new Joker movie will be released in cinemas in mid-October!
