On the sixth anniversary of his passing, Martin Deer remembers Heath Ledger….
Today marks the sixth anniversary of the passing of Heath Ledger – a day which is still very much fresh in my mind as though it were yesterday, and so I want to pay my respects to a man that created something that I will cherish for as long as I myself shall live.
Due to the time difference the day the UK became aware of Heath’s passing was in the early hours of the 23rd. I received a text from a friend which said that Heath had died, however I was half asleep and it didn’t register. I woke up the next morning and checked my phone as always. Seeing the text there, I realized that it had actually happened. The shock and sadness I felt was staggering. I didn’t know this man, but his death hit hard.
For two years before his passing I had followed the events of his life closely. From the moment he was cast as The Joker in The Dark Knight myself and fellow Bat-fans were constantly hearing and looking out for updates on the film, and by association Heath. I wasn’t a fan of Heath before he was cast – I was aware of him of course but I wasn’t a fan, that changed when he was cast as one of my favourite fictional characters and I sought to seek out his work. As we all know Heath was a wonderful actor, capable of incredible things in front of the camera, and so for the months and years building up to the release of The Dark Knight my excitement was at a level it has not been at since – even for The Dark Knight Rises my excitement was not on the same level. The viral marketing around the film only increased the excitement, and being most centered around The Joker, everyone was eagerly anticipating his performance. So move forward to January 22nd – 23rd for me of course – and the news of his passing was a thunderous strike to the gut. It seemed neither fair nor real.
But let’s not focus on the negative, Heath is gone and that will not change, however his work will live forever and by portraying one of the most iconic characters in the history of not only cinema, but in any medium, Heath’s memory shall remain with us longer than our own will. When the first full trailer arrived in December – when Heath was still alive – the forever quotable “why so serious?” was bellowed throughout my house ad nausea – just ask my rather annoyed sisters. When Heath passed that kind of childlike excitement faded away, but thankfully it soon returned as we began to focus on the incredible work we knew was in store for us that summer.
July 23rd was the day I got to see The Dark Knight. I didn’t know what to think; the film itself was emotionally draining and I needed time to coalesce my thoughts, however one thing was immediately conveyable – HEATH WAS UNBELIEVABLE!
The incredible work that Heath brought to the role of The Joker has been discussed for the last four and a half years, over and over. And that is still not enough. The nuances of his performance were extraordinary and the charisma mesmerizing. This was a performance that you do not see very often, on a level that many could not hope to achieve. Heath melted in to the role of The Joker as though they were one, as though Heath Ledger never actually existed; he had simply been taken from the pages of all of the iconic comic book stories that The Joker ever existed in. He blew our minds and filled our hearts with joy.
I saw the film four times at the cinema upon initial release, and countless times at home on Blu-ray and what I can say is that Heath’s performance is still as incredible as the first time I saw it, still as spellbinding, still able to wonder and astound with each line he utters and smack of the lips that he takes.
In the run up to the release of The Dark Knight Rises I was able to see The Dark Knight again at the cinema, and with the end of the greatest era a Batman-fan has undoubtedly endured, it was a time for reflection. Seeing Heath on the big screen again after four years was a moving experience. Heath was made for the silver screen, and for ever that is where he shall remain.
Martin Deer
Originally published January 22, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
