Heath Ledger on Enough Rope

My good friend and golfing buddy Sir Ralph Richardson once said that "acting is merely the art of stopping a large group of people from coughing," which means that our next guest could probably cure the common cold. Please welcome a fine stamp of a man on the rise, Mr Heath Ledger.

Andrew Denton: Shouldn't you be in LA tonight, pressing the flesh, kissing the ring, as it were?

Heath Ledger: Uh…(Laughs) Whose ring?

Andrew Denton: Well, that is the question, isn't it? How come you aren't at the Oscars?

Heath Ledger: I wasn't invited.

Andrew Denton: No! No! Do you need a fake nose to be invited to the Oscars? Seriously! But you've never been, have you?

Heath Ledger: No.

Andrew Denton: Surely you've been invited in the past?

Heath Ledger: To the Oscar parties and stuff like that, but, no, never to the event.

Andrew Denton: Are you sorry?

Heath Ledger: Not really. No. I'd like to go. Yeah, it would be fun.

Andrew Denton: You'll get invited. I'm sure you will. Look, I'll see to it.

Heath Ledger: Thanks.

Andrew Denton: I'll make a call. I'll give you my invitation next time. Uh, Nicole, of course, won tonight.

Heath Ledger: I know. That's fantastic.

Andrew Denton: Yeah. Are you going to…is it that sort of thing where you've got her number and you give her a call?

Heath Ledger: No, no, I don't.

Andrew Denton: You've never been invited to visit Nicole either?

Heath Ledger: No. It's…

Andrew Denton: this is a very sad and lonely picture. It seems to me, though, I mean, she's got an Oscar with a fake nose. You've put on a whole fake beard and a helmet. You are a shoe-in there for the big one.

Heath Ledger: Yeah.

Andrew Denton: Look, I certainly… We'll get back to 'Ned Kelly' in a minute. How do you know when you're hot in Hollywood?

Heath Ledger: You usually start to perspire and… No, God, I don't know.

Andrew Denton: Well, seriously, you'd be A list now, wouldn't you?

Heath Ledger: No.

Andrew Denton: No? What list are you?

Heath Ledger: Uh, 'B'. (Laughs) I don't know.

Andrew Denton: But people talk about this stuff all the time in the industry.

Heath Ledger: Yeah. I don't know. I really don't know what list I'm on. I'm obviously not on the Oscar list.

Andrew Denton: Maybe you're A-plus, maybe you're too special.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, A-minus, or something.

Andrew Denton: Well, for instance, if I were an LA exec coming up to Heath Ledger right now, how would I be talking to you? What would the patter be?

Heath Ledger: Um…oh, God, I don't know. I try not to talk to those kind of people if I can.

Andrew Denton: Is there a lot of — and I really don't want to, you know, go too far here — but is there a lot of smoke blown up the anal fundament?

Heath Ledger: Yeah, there is. Um, I don't know. I tend to try to disattach myself from that as much as possible. And I don't find it that hard. I live a fairly normal life outside of this. It's hard to believe, but I do.

Andrew Denton: You just dag around?

Heath Ledger: Yeah, I really do. I've been spending the last eight months on my arse, raising two puppies, learning how to cook lasagne, and doing my washing, and keeping my house clean, and loving it.

Andrew Denton: Can I just say that over eight months, that's not a lot of work! I mean…

Heath Ledger: I know.

Andrew Denton: Far be it from me to call you a lazy bastard.

Heath Ledger: I am a lazy bastard.

Andrew Denton: What sort of puppies are we talking about?

Heath Ledger: I got a little cocker spaniel named Ed.

Andrew Denton: Ohh.

Heath Ledger: Ohh. And a little Yorkshire terrier named Bob.

Andrew Denton: Bob? How did he get the name Bob?

Heath Ledger: I don't know. It just…it just rolled off the tongue.

Andrew Denton: And now, the lasagne is the lasagne for the puppies? I'm sorry to go into deep domestic detail here, but I'm trying to unpeel your last eight months.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, I don't know. I had so much time on my hands, I just started cooking. And it's so great — you can just go on the Internet, go to Google and just put in 'lasagne' and all of a sudden you've got 100,000 different recipes for a lasagne. And…I don't know. That's how bored I've been over the last eight months.

Andrew Denton: I'm interested in…in dance in your life. 'Cause you choreographed your…your school…

Heath Ledger: YOUR school.

Andrew Denton: My old school. Our old school. You choreographed… Someone very kindly asked the other day, "What was Heath like at school?" Like, yeah, right, he's only 20 years younger than me! He was about that big! No, but you choreographed your school dance. Now, this was an all-boys school. I'm guessing that's not an easy thing to do.

Heath Ledger: No, you couldn't imagine how hard it was to get 80, like, you know, farmers' kids to get up and dance. You know, they don't know who Gene Kelly is. I actually had to get up in front of them and dance, and it was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of my life — you know, having 80 kids laughing and screaming and pointing at me. But it was great, you know, 'cause it was good to see these kids overcome their fear of expression. All of a sudden, you had these farmers who thought dancing was like a nancy-pansy kind of thing and then all of a sudden, they're up there dancing in tights. And…and they won.

Andrew Denton: Really? What was the thing they did?

Heath Ledger: Oh, God, I can't remember. I think it was… We had to come up with a theme. I think it was based on fashion or something. But you had to do it all yourself, choreograph it and…





http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s816837.htm

Andrew Denton: You said you got up and danced in front of them. Where did you learn?

Heath Ledger: I didn't. That was the embarrassing thing about it.

Andrew Denton: You just made it up?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. I mean, I did a little bit of, um… After that, actually, I did some dance courses. Mainly because when I started doing theatre I was really self-conscious of what my body was doing and where my hands were and what my feet were doing and it was sort of just… So I danced to get more control of my body. Look at me, I'm, like, out of control. I'm going, "It's just to get more control of my body so I don't have to worry about it." It didn't work.

Andrew Denton: He took an eye out in the interview. Arggh! (Laughs) Do you…would you like to do a dancing role on stage or in a movie?

Heath Ledger: I don't know. It kind of scares me. It really does.

Andrew Denton: That's good, isn't it?

Heath Ledger: Yeah, it is. I don't know. If it's the right piece, I guess, yeah.

Andrew Denton: You could do 'The Amazing Electrical Man.' Something like that. His own stunning jazz style of dancing. We've some photos of you here as a kid, and thanks for bringing them in. This is, first of all, baby Heath. Look at this. It looks a bit like me. There we go. Ohh! Were you playing 'Ned Kelly' even at that age? What is that? What are you in?

Heath Ledger: A potty. A brass potty.

Andrew Denton: Couldn't afford nappies?

Heath Ledger: No.

Andrew Denton: And then this one. This is a sweetie. This is you as, what, you were about three or four there, I guess? In the movie 'Ned Kelly', there's a lovely bit where Ned is remembering as a kid his father talking to him…

Heath Ledger: Red Kelly.

Andrew Denton: Red Kelly. Is there a moment from your childhood that you still carry with you? One of those defining moments?

Heath Ledger: Uh…oh, gawd, I have to come up with something for my parents now. But, um…oh, God. Yeah, a few, I guess. I have a lot of wonderful moments. I have a wonderful family and I'm very proud of them and I love them dearly. But, oh, God, nothing interesting I can tell you now.

Andrew Denton: It's a tough one. What about when you look back on your childhood years, what's the thing in your head?

Heath Ledger: The first memory I have, anyway, I guess — I think it was my second birthday and the cake came out with the candles and I was very excited and I was, like, "Oh! A cake!" and then my cousin blew out the candles. I was so disappointed. It just broke my heart. And so that's stamped in my brain.

Andrew Denton: And so, does every year your cousin get your birthday presents now?

Heath Ledger: He flies out, yeah.

Andrew Denton: 'Ned Kelly' was really good. And you'll forgive me for getting personal now, but… I thought you were stunning in the role, but I…I don't know how to put this. I should have had the role myself.

Heath Ledger: I know you should have.

Andrew Denton: I auditioned, and I'd like you to tell me what is wrong with my Ned Kelly. (Puts on helmet with spectacles) Stand and deliver! For I am Ned Kelly. And what's more, I can play the sexy roles too. Actually, yours is a stunning performance and I said that this evening privately, so I can say it publicly. It's very intense and intensely watchable. Here is a clip from 'Ned Kelly' with Heath.

Woman: Ned, Ned! Ned. Jesus, Ned, they've arrested Ma.

Ned: They what?

Woman: They've taken her to the cells. Charged her with attempted murder.

Ned: Attempted murder?

Man: And Fitzpatrick is saying you took a shot at him.

Ned: I wasn't even there.

Man: We know that. It's your word against his.

Ned: They'll take the word of a drunken liar and arrest an innocent woman. Is that right? I won't take this injustice. I'm going to kill him. I swear I'll scatter his blood and brains like grain.

man 2: Ned!

Man: Stop it, Ned!

Ned: Stand aside!

Man 2: Don't make it worse for Ma!

Woman: Stop it, Ned!

Andrew Denton: It's powerful. It's great. Absolutely. The bit in the film — Ned's always chewing. What's that? Where did that come from?

Heath Ledger: It's his jaw. He's just angry.

Andrew Denton: That's just anger, is it?

Heath Ledger: Mmm. Well, that's what I was doing, anyway. It was the chewing gum I had in my mouth.

Andrew Denton: It's the merchandising. What about the Irish accent? 'Cause there's some conjecture as to whether or not Ned spoke Australian or Irish. Yeah, we did talk about it, but obviously…but at the end of the day, we don't really know what they sounded like and if anything it was probably a hybrid between Irish and Australian accent. But we figured, you know, it's an Australian…it's an Irish story in an Irish community in Australia, so we figured, you know, keep it Irish. And I had an incredible dialect coach, who's named Gerry Grennell, and he just made it easy. He really did. I owe it all to him.

Andrew Denton: Could you go to Ireland now and pass yourself off as…?

Heath Ledger: No.

Andrew Denton: You owe a little bit to him, in that case.

Heath Ledger: Dead right.

Andrew Denton: I read that you…look, that you booked a room overlooking the old Melbourne jail as part of your research. Is that true?

Heath Ledger: No, actually, I had no idea where the Melbourne jail was.

Andrew Denton: It sounded like bullshit to me.

Heath Ledger: It was bullshit. No, but I did have a room overlooking it. It's just I didn't know it was the jail until a week later. I know, it's sad.

Andrew Denton: Did you stand there just looking at it, going, "Yes."

Heath Ledger: "That's an interesting old building." No, it was the guy who played my brother, Laurence Kinlan, actually pointed it out to me and it was kind of surprising. But, yeah, from my apartment I could see his final walk and the spot where he was hanged. It's kind of eerie actually.

Andrew Denton: Did you actually learn anything about Ned Kelly making this film that you didn't know? Because we all grew up with the legend.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, I did. I guess what was surprising is how young they were, for starters. I mean, he was hanged when he was 25. But I guess, just how much of a victim of circumstance he was. And so, you know… But I obviously have a really biased point of view of him because I had to play him and I had to believe him and his story. But, yeah, it was tough times and just the extent of how tough it was was kind of surprising. Like, the cops back then in the Irish community used to get kids and put them in barrels — beer barrels with spikes in them — and roll them down hills.

Andrew Denton: Seriously?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. Well, no, I made that up.

Andrew Denton: That would be a reality TV show today.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, exactly! 'Fear Factor' or something.

Andrew Denton: I have for you some 'Ned Kelly' merchandise. Because I've noticed with the film there tend to be a lot of opportunities. First of all, there's the Ned Kelly beer mug, which I think is really going to work. You just put a bit of the old brown ale in there and…it's a tremendous thing. (Spills ale through mug) People will, uh, obviously… OK, you might not like that. But what we have here… This is the Ned Kelly…the full Ned Kelly doll set for kids. We've got your trooper and we've got Ned Kelly. And this thing is, you see here, if you pull the string at the back…

Heath Ledger: Funny horse, isn't it?

Andrew Denton: Well, obviously we're a little bit cheap on the show. If you pull the string, though, you get the full Glenrowan siege. Listen to this. (Sounds of battle) Sorry, oh, sorry. Just to give it the full authenticity. But this is the one I think, Heath, is going to work. This is the Ned Kelly toaster. You plug it in, you put in your ordinary toast, like so, and about two minutes later… A toast to Ned Kelly!

Heath Ledger: That was cheesy.

Andrew Denton: They're turning ugly, aren't they? Did you manage to watch any of the Academy Awards?

Heath Ledger: No, I was working all day.

Andrew Denton: Of course, Michael Moore…I have a transcript of the speech Michael Moore made.

Heath Ledger: It's fantastic.

Andrew Denton: Fantastic speech. I'll read the last little bit. He got pretty much booed off the stage. He said, "We live in a time where we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons. Whether it's the fiction of duct tape or the fiction of orange alerts, we are against this war, Mr Bush. Shame on you, and any time you've got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, your time is up." You were in Melbourne the other day, leading the march. I saw you on TV last week, after a bit of thought referring to our Prime Minister as 'a dick'.

Heath Ledger: Yeah.

Andrew Denton: You stand by that?

Heath Ledger: Well…yes, I do stand by that, absolutely.

Andrew Denton: There are those…and they've written over the weekend to suggest that you've been duped, that you're grandstanding.

Heath Ledger: Well, you know what? It's like… Screw it, man, everyone has their right to their opinion and that's mine. And, look, I'm not alone, am I?

Audience: No.

Andrew Denton: And to those who'd say, "Get your hand off it, Ledger, what do you know?"

Heath Ledger: Yeah, look, I do… I mean…yeah, the unfortunate truth is none of us know enough and we will never know enough. But, screw it. Our country…we've never… This is the first time in the history of our country that we're an aggressor, and we're not an aggressive nation or people. I'm certainly not, and I'm very proud of my country and I'm the very proud of the people here. We shouldn't be a part of this. It's not a fight for humanity. It's a fight for oil. And screw it and screw them. I think we should all pull out and live a peaceful existence down here.

Andrew Denton: Do… Are there people around you saying, "Just pull back, Heath. Don't say this, don't blow it?"

Heath Ledger: Yeah, but at the end of the day, what am I going to blow? My career? At the end of the day, my career is so insignificant in this…this war. It just is, and I'm willing to lose a few jobs over it. God. Yeah. I'll start to cry soon.

Andrew Denton: No, it's a man of passion. I like that.

Heath Ledger: Well, we need more of it and I think it's only going to get…we're only going to get more and more support. I don't know how much effect it will have on it, but hopefully we can stop this thing before it's too late. Unfortunately, you know, within the human kind of instinct, we don't… It's like, I could tell you, Andrew, "Don't touch the fire because if you touch it you'll burn yourself," and you'll go, "OK." But then when I'm looking that way, you'll go over and you'll touch it and burn yourself and then you'll learn. I just hope we don't take it that far. I hope we learn before something disastrous happens.

Andrew Denton: Sadly, I think the fire has begun.

Heath Ledger: It has.

Andrew Denton: Let's end on a cheerier note, shall we? We've discovered your dancing.

Heath Ledger: Yes.

Andrew Denton: I'd like to reveal your other talent tonight. Thank you very much, Angelo. Something perhaps not known about you. The didge. You play the didge.

Heath Ledger: Yeah.

Andrew Denton: Can you give us a blast?

Heath Ledger: Alright.

Andrew Denton: Ladies and gentlemen, first time, Heath Ledger on the didge.

Andrew Denton: Thank you for coming in.

Heath Ledger: Thank you very much.

Andrew Denton: You may keep that.

Heath Ledger: Oh, really and truly? That's nice.

Andrew Denton: And I believe we have a huge bottle to make a giant bong with as well. What a man. A man of passion. Let's hear it for Heath Ledger.

Thx for posting that interview.
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