After the initial shock of yesterday’s tragic news subsided, and after reading dozens of theories regarding Heath Ledger‘s death, and the reactions of various members of the Hollywood community, I began thinking of the last thing I had witnessed Ledger in. It was only a few weeks ago, before a showing of I Am Legend, where the first five minutes of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, was screened. What had initially been a fairly controversial decision to cast Ledger as The Joker made every bit of sense when witnessing Heath in all his white-faced glory. His pretty face was transformed into a twisted gory masterpiece, his hair not unlike my own after swimming in a urine-soaked pool when I was 9 (truly, a nightmare). Reports claiming that Ledger was deeply disturbed by the character while making the film began to make sense: He became The Joker from the top of his green head to the bottom of his purple loafers.
And it was while remembering this short clip from a few weeks ago that something occurred to me, the death of another young and promising actor who went way before his time: The unexpected loss of actor Brandon Lee in 1993. A comparison:
YES, It’s a stretch (though its crossed many other minds), and I don’t even know the point of this post other than to maybe, possibly, point out some similarities and remember my youth. But note: Both Brandon Lee and Heath Ledger were 28 when they passed (Lee died while filming The Crow, after a stunt gun accidentally fired a real bullet directly into his abdomen). And both of their last big screen characters sported extremely freaky face paint.
While I was only a “tween” when The Crow, Lee’s final film, was released, I distinctly remember all of the conspiracy theories surrounding his death and the film itself. Wikipedia notes that many fans suspected “foul play” or blamed the “Lee Family Curse” (Brandon’s father was Martial Arts legend Bruce Lee, who died at 32.)
It’s safe to say that The Dark Knight is likely going to be the biggest and best summer blockbuster to come out in 2008, but with the passing of the film’s biggest star (sorry Bale), every scene, nuance and line of dialogue in The Dark Knight will be analyzed by conspiracy theorists around the globe looking for clues or double entendre relating to Heath’s darker side.
But, maniacs with too much time on their hands aside, it pretty much goes without saying that watching The Dark Knight this summer will be one of the more chilling movie experiences we can think of.
