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"KNIGHT'S"
LEDGER RIDES INTO CELEBRITY, 3/31/01
By Ellen
A.Kim
BEVERLY HILLS,
Calif., Mar. 31, 2001 -- Columbia Pictures may be onto something.
The studio that filled its movie poster for The Patriot with Mel Gibson’s ruggedly handsome face last year is doing the same for this year’s adventure, A Knight’s Tale. And this time, it’s Gibson’s Patriot son, Heath Ledger, on display.
Ledger squirms a bit at the massive image of his brooding features, golden locks in disarray, dominating a red background.
"I was a little uncomfortable with it because it’s an ensemble cast," he explains, putting out a cigarette. "But ultimately, at the end of the day, that was out of our control. It’s slightly intimidating -- it’s your mug up there."
It’s especially impressive considering A Knight's Tale is only the Aussie actor’s third American film. Born in Perth, Ledger (who was named Heathcliff after the character in Wuthering Heights, as was his sister, Catherine) moved to Sydney after graduating at age 16 to try his hand at acting. A few small movies Down Under and one failed Fox series (Roar, co-starring Keri Russell) later, Ledger landed his big break in 10 Things I Hate About You, a teen comedy that transported Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew to ’90s high-school daze. While taunting and romancing Julia Stiles, Ledger showed off an unexpected flair for Broadway when he broke out into a showy song and dance of "Can’t Take My Eyes Off You," which helped garner him an MTV Movie Award nomination.
Oddly enough, the thread continues in A Knight’s Tale, which fuses medieval times with WWF chants and Queen songs (weird, we know). William Thatcher (Ledger), a squire whose humble lineage prevents him from entering a jousting tournament, concocts a scheme to forge his identity in order to compete and fulfill his dream of becoming a knight. Along the way, however, he falls for a maiden (Shannyn Sossamon) whose loving glances cause William to, well, sing. (He also dances with her later in the film.)
"It’s in my personal contract that I have to sing and dance and ride horses [in every movie]," Ledger deadpans, then turns serious. "[You should] have fun. Get up there and dance and sing. Dance as if no one’s watching.... The reason that you dance and sing is to make the audience feel like they’re dancing and singing. As long as you’re having fun with it and giving it 100 percent, they’re gonna feel that."
And when the music dies, Ledger is left to deal with the glaring spotlight of celebrity. He has made it clear he didn’t ask to be a movie star, particularly because of the ravenous ways in which the press have dug into his personal life -- including his relationship with nine-years-older Heather Graham, whom he met while filming A Knight’s Tale in Prague.
"They’re being quite respectful," Ledger sighs, "other than the person who comes in and just asks about your personal life. And you just have to tell them to get f---ed, because I’m not here to talk about that. And that can be just annoying."
But not enough to give up his life’s dream.
"I love acting
and I have a lot of fun," Ledger says. "[Yet] as soon as that disappears,
the fun and friendship I have just deteriorates... I’ll walk away. It’s
not hard."
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