Remembering Heath Ledger

I find it interesting how attached we all become to our favorite actors. They become a part of our lives even though we never meet them. Seeing their movies and watching their lives unfold on television, makes us invested and it seems as though we are simply catching up on what’s been going on with them. At some point, they have played a role in something that touched us so deeply that we connected with them. Even though it was just a role they played on some silver screen, they made it real to us.

On occasion I am appalled by how much our society weighs in on stars’ lives. We continually want updates about how Britney’s court hearing went or how Lindsey’s rehab is progressing. But, I suppose we do these things because we are tuned into their actions and sometimes we forget they are just people. Real people with family, friends, careers and dreams just as real as ours.

Heath Ledger died Tuesday afternoon in New York City. Although I have yet to see what most people call his shining moment on the big screen, Brokeback Mountain, Ledger has been near and dear to me since A Knight’s Tale (2001). In his role as William, the squire turned knight, he refused to yield to society’s boundaries. He dreamed of becoming something great. He played a similar role as Gabriel in The Patriot (2000). Again, his character believed in something greater then himself. He fought for freedom, not only for himself and his family, but also for his country.

I know that many people will remember him as Patrick Verona from 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) when he took a bribe to attend a school dance and found himself in love. Maybe you remember Ledger as Skip from the Lords of Dogtown, Jacob from The Brothers Grimm or The Joker in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight. We are lucky because we knew him as the many different characters that he played. And to us, he will always exist. To his friends and family, he will simply be Heath and he is gone.

Though tragic and too soon, his death will mark yet another memory for his fans. And he will live forever in his films, his characters and the hearts of those who truly knew him.

photo courtesy of New York Times