Ledger's Lethal Legacy

Death dealt a jarring blow in Hollywood for putting a sudden and abbreviated end to the career of rising star Heath Ledger. Today, it is firing up the publicity for this year's highly anticipated film "Dark Knight", and is at the core of the film's marketing activities. The mystery surrounding Ledger's passing has added an enigmatic dimension to the complicated character he plays in the film, which co-stars believe he poured his soul into. The role of "The Joker" was a personality whom Ledger described as "a psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with no empathy inside him whatsoever". Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker consumed him until he could figure out the motivations and processes behind the criminal's mind. The indelible performance of Jack Nicholson was another factor Heath had to contend with.

The portrayal of a deviously wicked character, who delights in subjecting his victims to painful deaths while menacingly taunting them in the process, can only be the product of a convoluted mind completely absorbed in the evil that he applies with unabashed glee. This is the essence of the Joker, a man who is totally blinded by hatred which becomes his reason for living; and where he finds an uncanny fulfillment in its full expression by way of revenge. The superb handling by Jack Nicholson of this role stands out as the benchmark performance for the characterization of the Joker. He effectively wiped out the previous actor who played the part on television, and became the quintessential villain for the 70 year old comic book classic, Batman. With the exception of Danny DeVito's Penguin role, Nicholson is regarded as the ultimate Batman archfiend.

The profound immersion of Heath Ledger in the same role has produced a chillingly demonic persona that is morbidly terrifying and disturbingly penetrating; and video clips used to promote the film never fails to elicit hair raising fears that people talk about after its short preview. The images stick to the mind as if the Joker has possession of some portions of one's mental faculties. Heath inhabits the character with such grim determination, creating a sense that one is witnessing the workings of the Joker. It goes beyond just being a great piece of acting, but a vision of a black and twisted soul that has ceased to be human.

There seems to be a unanimous agreement that Heath Ledger more than held his own against the performance of Jack Nicholson for the same part. Some have opined that Jack seemed to be having fun in the film, at times dishing out a giddy scene in the process. Ledger's creation runs into the same character vein but with a much deeper sinister intent. Co-stars have noted how he suffered sleepless nights in a role that he said seemed to be changing his own personality to match the character he plays. And it scared him. This is not Ledger's last film, but it will be his legacy as a great actor. The characterization is in the realm of the darkest recesses of man's capacity for evil, and Heath gave his soul to the role. This is his signature role, one that will be the basis of comparisons with future performances if he had lived. It's what probably killed him, but the choice was worse if being alive meant being the Joker.

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Heath's Hazy Hemming

The death of internationally acclaimed actor Heath Ledger remains unclear following the autopsy performed by the Medical Examiner in New York. The results are inconclusive, and determining cause of death will take 14 days. Investigators have said prescription medicines were at his bedside but no suicide note was found. A 20 dollar bill was likewise examined for possible drug residue but yielded negative results. The police say that the way the bill was folded prompted them to make the examination. There was also no indication of foul play. His family came out with a statement calling his death untimely, tragic, and accidental. No statements were released by his former girlfriend, actress Michelle Williams, whose 2 year old daughter is Heath Ledger's child.

Earlier, Heath told the New York Times: "Last week, I probably slept an average of 2 hours a night. I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted but my mind was still going."

All angles in the story of his death seem to have been hemmed in well, but details remain hazy. No doubt, the police are not discounting suicide as they are wont to do. In the absence of a suicide note, the family is assuming it was accidental, which is an explanation that would ease the pain of his passing. No words from the ex-girlfriend, and the housekeeper and masseuse have been speaking only through the police authorities.

Heath Ledger gained international acclaim for agreeing to do a daring role in Brokeback Mountain with Jake Gyllenhaal, complete with kissing and lovemaking in the raw. The movie and his performance earned him an Academy Award nomination. He was also part of Mel Gibson's The Patriot, where he obtained notice in an intense portrayal as Mel's son, even if his appearance was brief. He also earned a sort of cult following with A Knights Tale, among the younger generation of moviegoers. His career was just about to break boundaries when this tragedy struck.

What is it with Hollywood that breeds such terminal circumstances? A couple of weeks ago Brad Renfro died of an overdose of illegal drugs. Brad was considered the River Phoenix of this generation, who also died at such an early age from drug overdose. A couple of months back, Owen Wilson attempted to take his life and very nearly succeeded, purportedly because he was distraught at the turn of events in his relationship with Kate Hudson. All three of these actors were into illegal drugs, Heath was not. He was taking prescription drugs. It could be possible that the Doctor who prescribed the drug is also under investigation. Perhaps Heath was not thoroughly examined, and the dosage given to him was too much for his body's capacity to absorb; since he was suffering from insomnia for a little more than a week.

Heath Ledger had the intensity, the natural talent, the looks, and the charisma to achieve big time stardom. This whole situation of his death is so distressing not only for its untimeliness, but for its utter waste.

Haaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!