“Heath Ledger was a brilliant young actor. God only knows what he would have achieved later in life. He had so much talent – I’m sure he would have been a great director.
Three-time Academy Award winner Ang Lee speaking to Empire about directing the late Heath Ledger in 2005’s gay Western Brokeback Mountain.
Brokeback Mountain has the elegiac mood of a Western and an inner-twisted repression – Ennis is a very repressed character, macho but gay, gay but homophobic – and often there is no vocabulary to express his feelings. So Heath’s aura powers the whole story. He did a lot of preparation, mostly on his own. And he often surprised me with what he brought to his work.
…In his heart, I think Heath knew the character of Ennis deeply. On a technical level, he took direction very well, but worked alone. He’s not someone you really needed to talk to a lot, because he was very independent.”
Related: Still can’t quit: A brief history of Jake Gyllenhaal’s comments on ‘Brokeback Mountain’
abfab
Both of these men were so good together and I miss Heath…still sad about losing so many at such young ages……Regarding this instance I must say that I’m sad and puzzled why not a mere mention of tWitch’s passing. Or did I just miss the story here. Anyway, RIP guys.
o.codone
Here’s why there’s no mention of tWitch’s passing: … tWitch who?
abfab
Oh brother. He was a beautiful man and a great part of The Ellen Show.
305Ghuy
By far, one of the last scenes in Brokeback Mtn when Ledger’s character holds that flannel shirt and inhales the essence of his lost love. Thinking about the intensity of that moment. That felt so real it hurt watching it.