It’s been nearly a decade since Heath Ledger passed away, and a new documentary from Spike TV and Network Entertainment aims to offer up special insight into the actor’s life and career. I Am Heath Ledger will feature anecdotes from his friends, family members, and people he worked with in the past. The star of such films as A Knight’s Tale, Brokeback Mountain, and The Dark Knight died in 2008 after overdosing on a combination of prescription pills.
In the video, musician Ben Harper describes him as the “most alive human” and that “if it wasn’t on the edge, it didn’t interest him.” That speaks to the way in which Ledger approached each role, which likely contributed to his death.
“He pretty well locked himself up in a hotel, in his apartment, for a month or so, to sort of galvanize the upcoming character in his own mind,” his father Kim Ledger explained in the 2012 docuseries, Too Young to Die. “That was typical of Heath on any movie. He would certainly immerse himself in the upcoming character. I think this was just a whole new level.”
But we already knew that. What I didn’t know was much he loved to film and photograph things. “There were always cameras around,” Christina Cauchi revealed. His childhood friend Trevor DiCarlo added, “He was always a director. Acting was just a way to get there.”
I Am Heath Ledger heads to select theaters on May 3 before airing on Spike TV on May 17. After that, it will be released on digital and DVD on May 23.
(via Entertainment Weekly, image: screencap)
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