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Heath Ledger’s tragic death at age 28 leaves loving fan distraught

May 11, 2001 — a day most eagerly awaited by my group of giggling preteen friends.

While this date may seem fairly innocuous to most, to us it represented the pinnacle of our social existence at the time: Heath Ledger Day. Dressed to impress, with platform sneakers and body glitter, we went to the local theater for the eagerly anticipated opening of “A Knight’s Tale.”

Courtesy Photo — Focus Features. Heath Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Ennis in “Brokeback Mountain.”

My childhood bedroom is still covered in memorabilia dedicated to Heath — from a picture of him with Heather Graham (on which I craftily covered her face with my own) to notes penned with pink ink signed “Liz Ledger” to the Vanity Fair spread I stole from my aunt years ago to adorn various middle school binders and notebooks. Of course, don’t forget, the pinnacle of my collection: A silver frame embossed with “My Boyfriend” holding three separate pictures of Heath (much to the chagrin and dismay of my “real” boyfriend, a certain reviews editor who has not yet made the cut into the frame).

Needless to say, I’ve been with Heath for quite a while now.
The fact that Heath had such a young end is tragic in itself, yet is more tragic still in light of the accomplishments he was on his way to achieving. I first saw Heath in the Australian film “Two Hands” (which I own thanks to a $2 bargain bin at the local video store) in which he plays a man who owes $10,000 to the mob and is consequently on the run. This film gained him exposure due to its several nominations in the Australian film circuit.

We became better acquainted in his breakout role in the United States — one we all still embrace and enjoy: “10 Things I Hate About You.” Amid the wave of teen movies popping up during our middle school years, wedged between “She’s All That” and “American Pie,” it was a gem hidden beneath mountains of movies about teen angst. Not only is this movie based on the classic Shakespeare comedy “Taming of the Shrew,” but it contains wonders such as Heath’s performance singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” while dancing on the bleachers, igniting girls’ fantasies everywhere. Heath won over the female audience with his exotic accent, bad-boy attire and sexy smile and gained the hearts of males with his cynical quips.

Courtesy Photo — Warner Bros. Pictures. Heath Ledger finished filming for his next movie, “The Dark Knight,” prior to his untimely death. His final screen performance will be as the Joker, Batman’s maniacal arch enemy.

I feel that Heath and I forged a friendship with his appearance as the squire looking to “change his stars” in “A Knight’s Tale.” Not only did this offer hours of beautiful footage of Heath with his new (and later, trademark) blonde curls, but it offered undercutting comedy to those familiar with Chaucer or the Black Prince.
Yet the Aussie grew and matured, gaining even my mother’s respect with his more recent and mature performances. In “Monster’s Ball,” Heath hit audiences with his most powerful moment when he angrily shouts at his father, “You’ve always hated me, haven’t you? Well, I’ve always loved you.” Followed by his immediate suicide in the film.

“Monster’s Ball” marked the beginning of a change for Heath — street credibility as an actor who was so much more than a teenage heartthrob, proven by the critical response to his acting ability in “Brokeback Mountain.” Nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actor, Heath’s talents were finally recognized. Although he did not win either of these prestigious awards, he still managed to win the title of “Best Actor of 2005” from the New York Film Critics Circle.

The loss of this rising, talented star is softened somewhat by the reassurance that he will be starring in the upcoming Batman movie “Dark Knight” — thankfully, filming had finished before his untimely death on Tuesday.

What makes this such a devastating loss for me, and for many I know, is the loss of one of our greatest adolescent memories. We grew up with Heath. He showed up in middle school, jumping on the teen movie bandwagon as his first experiment with acting in Hollywood. As we began high school and branched out, Heath, too, began to come into his own with more adult roles, like those in “Ned Kelly” and “The Order,” trying to discover who he was as an actor. Then, when we had hit our stride, we graduated high school and began to really spread our wings in our first years of college, as Heath gained his first Oscar nomination for his critically acclaimed role in “Brokeback Mountain.” It’s not just his movies we will lament, but what he represents: memories of our innocence and adolescence.

So please, dig through your VHS tapes, find “10 Things I Hate About You” and join me in commemorating one of the greatest performances for our generation.

Liz Pedraja is a Flat Hat columnist. She promises she still loves her “real” boyfriend more.