He’d been nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain,” and moviegoers were eagerly anticipating his turn as The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” this summer’s sequel to “Batman Begins.” But it was in Tacoma where he first started climbing the ladder to Hollywood stardom.
Born in Perth in western Australia, in 1979, Ledger appeared in a handful of Aussie features and TV series before moving to Los Angeles at age 19 to try to break into the film business there.
His big break came soon after when he was cast as the male lead in “10 Things I Hate About You.”
It was a Disney teen comedy, based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” It was shot in Tacoma during the summer of 1998.
The filmmakers had been looking for a way to somehow tie the picture visually to its Elizabethan roots.
They found what they were looking for in Tacoma’s Stadium High School. Stadium’s castlelike appearance, with its towers and turrets, seemed perfect for this modern-day “Shrew,” executive producer Jeffrey Chernov said at the time.
The cast that came to town was like a who’s-who of young stars.
Julia Stiles, who played the spirited student Ledger’s character tries to tame, has since won good reviews for her work in the “Bourne” thriller series and in the teen dance drama “Save the Last Dance.”
Gabrielle Union, who played Stiles’ best friend, is one of the most in-demand young actresses working in Hollywood today, having starred in “Bad Boys II,” Tyler Perry’s family comedy “Daddy’s Little Girls” and the Christmas-themed romantic comedy “The Perfect Holiday,” the latter two released last year.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Krumholtz have both become respected character actors.
But none rose higher, faster than Ledger.
Young actor Heath Ledger got his start in Tacoma
SOREN ANDERSEN; soren.andersen@thenewstribune.com
Published: January 23rd, 2008 01:00 AM | Updated: January 23rd, 2008 06:30 AM
When he died Tuesday in his New York apartment at age 28, Heath Ledger was regarded as one of Hollywood’s brightest young talents.
He’d been nominated for an Oscar for his performance as a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain,” and moviegoers were eagerly anticipating his turn as The Joker in “The Dark Knight,” this summer’s sequel to “Batman Begins.” But it was in Tacoma where he first started climbing the ladder to Hollywood stardom. Born in Perth in western Australia, in 1979, Ledger appeared in a handful of Aussie features and TV series before moving to Los Angeles at age 19 to try to break into the film business there. His big break came soon after when he was cast as the male lead in “10 Things I Hate About You.” It was a Disney teen comedy, based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” It was shot in Tacoma during the summer of 1998. The filmmakers had been looking for a way to somehow tie the picture visually to its Elizabethan roots. They found what they were looking for in Tacoma’s Stadium High School. Stadium’s castlelike appearance, with its towers and turrets, seemed perfect for this modern-day “Shrew,” executive producer Jeffrey Chernov said at the time. The cast that came to town was like a who’s-who of young stars. Julia Stiles, who played the spirited student Ledger’s character tries to tame, has since won good reviews for her work in the “Bourne” thriller series and in the teen dance drama “Save the Last Dance.” Gabrielle Union, who played Stiles’ best friend, is one of the most in-demand young actresses working in Hollywood today, having starred in “Bad Boys II,” Tyler Perry’s family comedy “Daddy’s Little Girls” and the Christmas-themed romantic comedy “The Perfect Holiday,” the latter two released last year. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Krumholtz have both become respected character actors. But none rose higher, faster than Ledger. That he was the one to watch was apparent on the set of “10 Things.” “The producer said this kid is going to be bigger than anybody in this movie. He was going to be a huge star,” Tacoma resident William McGovern said Tuesday. McGovern owned the house in the city’s North End that the filmmakers turned into the home of Stiles’ character for about six weeks of shooting. McGovern said his two teen daughters thought Ledger was “a good-looking kid.” “My impression of him was he was a nice, affable young man,” said McGovern. The McGoverns moved out of their home during the filming but returned often to watch the movie being made. On several evenings, McGovern was able to talk briefly with Ledger and found him to be unpretentious. Accustomed to having a home full of teens, McGovern said with Ledger, “it was just like having another young person around the house.” After Ledger wrapped up work on “10 Things” and left Tacoma, offers for other teen movies came his way. He turned them down, preferring to remain idle rather than sign on for projects he didn’t like. Though his leading-man looks soon propelled him to stardom in films like 2001’s “A Knight’s Tale,” his career took a notable turn toward dramatic and brooding performances with 2001’s “Monster’s Ball.” “Brokeback Mountain,” released in 2005, would be his breakthrough role, establishing him as one of his generation’s finest talents. He dated the woman who played his wife in that film, Michelle Williams, and the couple had a daughter, Matilda, now 2 years old. He shunned Hollywood glitz in favor of a bohemian life in Brooklyn, and until he and Williams split up last year they were two of the borough’s most famous residents. Tuesday, Ledger was found naked in bed with prescription sleeping pills nearby, police said. There was no obvious indication of suicide, New York police spokesman Paul Browne told The Associated Press. The actor had an appointment for a massage that afternoon. His body was found by a housekeeper and a massage therapist. An autopsy is planned for today. The news of his death sent shock waves through Hollywood which had earlier in the day been fixated on the announcement of the Oscar nominations. “I had such great hope for him,” said Mel Gibson, who played Ledger’s vengeful father in 2000’s “The Patriot,” in a statement reported by The Associated Press. “He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss.” In Tacoma, the shock was felt by Noreen Hobson, who worked as an extra on “10 Things.” Now the owner of a Seattle talent agency, she was a student at Pacific Lutheran University when the movie people came to town. She attended a cast party in Seattle on the film’s final day of shooting and spent several hours hanging out with Ledger. “He couldn’t have been more friendly and personable and nice and outgoing,” she recalled. “He was willing to talk to anybody. He just seemed so grounded and so solid.” She called him “an actor’s actor.” “On the set he was the utmost professional, always on time” and always prepared and uncomplaining during shooting days that could last as long as 14 hours. She said she was “dumbstruck” by the news of Ledger’s death. During the hours she spent with him, “there were a lot of people really partying at this party, but he was not one of them. He seemed completely sane and totally sober.” Soren Andersen: 253-597-8742, Ext. 6235 The Associated Press contributed to this repo |
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