Heath Ledger died today of an apparent drug overdose. The media hasn’t announced whether his tragic death occurred due to intent or mistake. We’ve lost a talented actor. Talk radio hosts—who sometimes seem to love the sounds of their own voices more than the content of rhetoric—poked fun and made puns with Brokeback Mountain in the punchlines.
I will always remember—and appreciate—Heath’s performances in The Patriot and A Knight’s Tale.
I, of course, owe debts of gratitude to the directors and screenwriters for these films. They are the true storytellers. But the actors, like the tails side of a coin, bring color, life, and soul to the words and blocking.
Heath’s character in The Patriot is named Gabriel Martin. Heath plays this patriotic role with great passion. I mourned with Gabriel as he grieved for his wife and lusted for revenge. And I always tear up when I see his legacy—a redeemed American flag—whipping in the breeze as his father joins up with the militia for a final stand.
I didn’t go see A Knight’s Tale in the theatre because it sounded stupid: classic rock songs and contemporary-inspired costumes in a medieval period story. The first time I saw it, I still didn’t like it. Not until I watched it once by myself (on TBS, who seems to play it every month), did I understand the power of the movie. I watched as Heath’s character William/Ulrich rides to Cheapside in search of a connection to his father.
In both movies, he plays a hero, a son. These sons have solid, healthy, relationships with their fathers. And they exceed their fathers’ wishes and stations in life.
I hope that as the calendar pages turn, he will be remembered more for these roles than for his Oscar-nominated role in Brokeback Mountain. I also hope the producer of the In Memoriam tribute montage for the Oscar telecast this year will choose a wry smile from one of these movies for his two seconds of screen time.
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