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While most 21 year-old males are busy fulfilling their hormonal destiny, HEATH LEDGER sits in a hotel room talking about his latest movie ("The Patriot") and Hollywood heavyweights Mel Gibson and the "Independence Day" team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin.
So what does this young hunk from Perth, Australia know about playing an American soldier in 1776? Does it matter? I mean look at him! Well, lucky for us all, he does manage to do a bang-up job in the role.
Here's how our little chat went...
Q: Being an Australian. How much did you know before this movie about the whole American Revolution?
A: I knew the basics. We didn't study it as a major in High School. We kind of focused on Australia, our own history, I guess. But we knew little bits and pieces. I had to do a little bit of research for it.
Q: Was there anything like this in Australian history?
A: Any battles? No.
Q: What about the British?
A: They didn't teach that they were evil. There has definitely been a competitive spirit between Australia and England, you know, by us being the convicts and such.
Q: Can you tell us how you landed your role in the movie?
A: It was really just a simple process of auditioning on how I got into it. Actually, the first time I met with Roland and Dean we just sat in a room. We had a digital camera set up and I had two scenes to prepare for. I was halfway through my second scene and it was fucking lousy, so I dropped my head, and I stopped and I said, "Look I'm really sorry, I'm really embarrassed, but I'm going to have to leave now because I'm wasting your time, and I'm wasting my time." I just felt like shit.
I stood up and shook their hands and walked out with my tail between my legs and my head down. And then they rang back like three days later, and I guess they were a little curious, so they said to come back and show them what I really could do. So I went back and did another reading and they liked it and decided to scene test me. And after we did like four scenes they dragged Mel in and stood us to the camera and said, "They look like father and son." And then that was it.
Q: Did you start out with a real big intimidation factor because Mel Gibson is such a big star - not just here, but in Australia as well.
A: I guess I did. Definitely for the first two weeks I was so nervous. The first scene I had with him I hadn't been in front of the camera for over a year. And the first scene I was doing was with Mel Gibson, who was like Mad Max, to me. So yeah, I was really nervous. But he put me at ease straight away. It wasn't long until I realized he was just a great guy. He's really a lovely man. He gives everyone a piece of his time, including me. And so I got over that pretty quickly.
Q: After going back in time for all of these movies, do you enjoy the world you live in now? Or do you long for the old days?
A: The world I live in now?
Q: The contemporary world.
A: Yeah. Absolutely.
Q: Do you ever think, "What if I had lived two centuries ago"?
A: I don't know. It's novel I guess. The one thing I have realized is there was a few differences living back in those days in terms of the relationships - especially between father and son. It wasn't as liberal as it is today. But generally, they're people like you and I, just living in a different time. I guess it's fairly similar.
Q: A lot of your contemporaries are getting type cast in fluffy romantic comedies. Are you turning them down in order to do stuff that's more significant?
A: Well after I did, "Ten Things I Hate About You" - I just didn't want to go down that path. I think I just got to a point where I'd rather just go home, rather then do that again. And it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, or I didn't appreciate that it was coming, it was just that I wanted to go after really great material, to read really great scripts and meet some filmmakers and get out there. I was lucky that I did.
Q: A lot of your American contemporaries are getting type cast in fluffy romantic comedies. Are you not getting offered those kind of parts or are you turning them down in order to do stuff that is more significant?
A: Well after I did, "Ten Things I Hate About You" - I just didn't want to go down that path. I think I just got to a point where I'd rather just go home, rather then do that again. And it wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, or I didn't appreciate that it was coming, it was just that I wanted to go after really great material, to read really great scripts and meet some filmmakers and get out there. I was lucky that I did.
Q: I know you're totally busy right now with shooting so many different films, but what do you do with your spare time? Do you even have spare time?
A: I take a lot of photos of people.
Q: Did you shoot photos on the set of "The Patriot"?
A: Yeah, I did!
Q: Any special focus in your photography?
A: No, not necessarily. I try to keep pretty open-minded on what I shoot.
Q: So when you finally got a chance to spend some time with Mel, did you ask for any helpful hints?
A: Ha! No. I bit my tongue. I didn't have to, because I knew regardless, I was going to learn a lot from him. You'd be stupid if you didn't, you know? Anyone can learn anything from him, but it's about opening yourself up to it. And I did, I completely opened myself up and soaked it up.much as I could.
Q: Can you share anything with us?
A: I learned a lot, you know, professionally and socially about the industry. And, I guess the one thing I did learn which I can share with you, is just how to relax in the industry, especially professionally and on set. He keeps his head completely clear. And when he comes on set, he's not walking around stressing about his lines and stressing about his scenes. As soon as he gets on set he talks to everyone and he's joking and laughing and lively, and humorous. And he keeps his head really clean, but you can tell in the back of his mind he knows what he's doing. He's got it all in there. I needed that. 'Cause when I got on the set I was so stressed out, I was a wreck.
Q: I think this role is going to give you a lot of crazy fans. Do you have that right now, like girls going nuts over you?
A: I don't know. I guess. I know on the Internet it's a little crazy. But I don't go on the Internet at all. And I've kind of been away from it, you know? When it all started happening in Australia, I just wasn't there, and so I go back every six months and I see it. And now, with all this happening over here, I'm not here, I'm in Prague working and drinking beer. So, I don't know, it's all very new.
Q: So at this point in your career, it's just project by project?
A: Day by day. I'm not good at future planning. I don't plan at all. I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow. I don't have a day planner and I don't have a diary. I completely live in the now, not in the past, not in the future.
Q: When you take care of yourself you're basically alone?
A: Yeah.
Q: Quite an achievement for a young man.
A: Thank you.
Q: That's a lot of maturity.
A: Well,
no, I'm still a kid. I'm like six years old. But it's just a matter of
wanting to get up, it's just a big journey. I felt like when I left home
that I was on a journey, and I still am.
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