Heath Ledger gets loved up

Meet Casanova
Heath Ledger gets loved up



Whatever way you look at it, it's been a good year for Heath Ledger. Not only did the much-delayed Brothers Grimm finally get a release, but Brokeback Mountain came out to tumultuous acclaim – much of it singling out Ledger – and, on a personal note, he and partner Michelle Williams had a baby. He finishes out a strong twelve months with Casanova, a 17th century romp also starring Sienna Miller and Jeremy Irons. We talked to him recently about becoming the world's greatest lover and what his tattoo means…


Was it a challenge to play Casanova — someone so charismatic and libidinous?
Not really. Going into the movie I did a lot of research on the historical figure of Casanova and read as much of his journals as I could – two out of the 12 volumes. But when I got the script I realised that information was useless, because it’s not historically correct. It’s a romp. It’s a comedy. I feel like should have sent him up more. I feel like I missed that boat, even. I should have made it bigger.

Ultimately Casanova is a love story. When do you know if what you’re experiencing is real love?
I don't know. That's a very personal question!

It’s a tough question too!
It is, so excuse me if I try to avoid answering it.

Is it something that you're just sure of?
Yeah, it is. For me, you know when it's true love — it feels like something that you're rekindling, like you've met the person before and it's not the first time you've met them. And so, you're rekindling something that was buried before, you're reigniting a fire that went out in another life.

It looks like you had a lot of fun playing the role. Did you?
I did have fun, yeah, because I had no restraints: I wasn’t tying myself down to any historical evidence of him because it’s a fairytale version of his story. I’d just come off Brokeback Mountain and that was just torturous at times, a really tough, lonely shoot. So to go from Calgary to Venice to shoot this version of Casanova was like a paid holiday.

Do you think your voice helped for the character? You have a very strong voice…
Yeah, absolutely. Particularly because I do a lot of accents, you kinda have to being an Australian; there are very few Australian roles out there unless you're in Australia. I was back there recently doing a film called Candy, and that was the first time that I'd done a film using my own accent in eight years. I’d forgotten how free it is to act without an accent. It's just that everything is so accessible. But because I've had to study accent, in a way it’s helped me find a shortcut into my character because once you kinda develop the accent you start to hear the character, and you start to feel the character.

At night when you're not filming, do you speak normally or are you still speaking with an accent?
No, I speak normally. It'd be funny if I didn't!

What is the difference between making films in the States, or in Europe, or in Australia?
The catering is really the same, I feel. (Laughs) But no. For me, the experience of making films really revolves around that slice of time between the words ‘Action’ and ‘Cut’. So, that kinda hypnotic experience, in that slice of time, doesn't really change, it’s always the same, any place you go to.

You filmed Grimm in Prague and Casanova in Venice. Do you enjoy travelling?
I love it. I absolutely, really love it, because you get opportunities to live in Prague for six months or Venice for five months. You'd never in a million years just suddenly decide to pack your bags and go live in Venice. So you know, I really appreciate what it is.

You have a tattoo on your arm. What does it say?
‘Old Man River'. It's got nothing to do with the song. (Laughs)

What does it mean?
OK, It's got a few meanings, I'll tell you one of them. But, it just sounds and feels so eternal, just those words. I feel like now, I'm in a time in my life where I'm paddling down Old Man River. You know, it's on its way — life's about to speed up. And maybe I should slow down and appreciate it.

You’ve recently had a baby. Will that affect all your travelling?
Yeah. But that's okay. I'm kind of looking forward to grounding in a couple of bases. Obviously one of those will be Australia, and my better half (Michelle Williams) is American, so we'll be in Brooklyn, New York when we're in America. But she wants to work, so I think as much as possible we're gonna try and go: one on, one off. I always wanna be with my kid.