Rove Interview 24 April 2001

Rove Interview
24 April 2001

Rove: His new movie A Knights Tale is opening on July 19th He joins us now via the Rove Live satellite: Please welcome all round spunk-rat Heath Ledger..

Heath: Thank you Rove

Rove: How are ya Heath?

Heath: Good, how are you

Rove: I'm very good mate, very good. Now you have just exploded overseas, er I was just wondering why is it that Australians seem to be stealing all the big parts in Hollywood is it - are we a flavour of the month thing at the moment

Heath:I'm not sure mate, you know it could be anything from the fact that we're in fashion to… God... I really don't know - whatever it is its good for us., so...

Rove: It's the sexy accent I think that's it

Heath (quietly): yeah that's what it is

Rove: Undoubtedly, undoubtedly... Now of course your initial success was with the movie Two Hands which was your launching pad overseas. How hard was it to break into the industry over there

Heath: Yeah it was hard you know I mean you never guess that you're actually going to break it you know it is, it its a tough road, I don't know its just persistence and the confidence that you can do it, confidence in yourself and staying true to that. So I don't know it ism it was really hard and I don't have any method or I don't have anything that I can tell people that can make it easier. You know its just a personal thing.

Rove: Its skill its absolute pure skill its ok you can say it I must say for me when I was starting out getting into the industry with comedy and television I found the lowest point for me I was living off a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter, now have you ever had it as bad as that.

Heath: Yeah definitely I had a jar of vegemite I think and that and two-minute noodles was getting me through my low times.

Rove: You can stretch those a lot better than you think.

Heath: You can: they're curled up You know ............doing

Rove: Now the other major movie that launched you overseas was The Patriot with Mel Gibson, er now I've heard that you nearly stuffed up your audition for that is that correct?

Heath: Well, yeah the first reading I did I went in I guess, and I was half way through the second scene that I had to prepare for them and I guess I'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed and I was cranky and I was all (Heath rolls his arms and makes a noise) like that so I just stood up and walked out and apologised and said "you know I'm sorry - but I'm wasting your time, I'm wasting my time and this is lousy and see you later" and so I just stood up and walked out with my tail tucked between my legs and that was it. And then I guess they called back that night and they were a little curious from that point on to what I was about and they said "ok come back and show us what you really can do" and so I had to live up to my word.

Rove: Now what was it like working with Mel Gibson were you a big Mad Max fan

Heath: I was a big Mad Max fan yeah and it was great working with Mel Gibson

(clips of the Patriot running simultaneously) He was - I don't know if you've spoken to him or not - he's just such a genuine guy, good he's got a good humour about him good wit and just, you know, I've learnt a lot from him and the way he interacts professionally socially, whatever, yes he's wonderful

it was really very very good.

Rove: Will you work with him again soon doing a son of Mad Max kind of thing

Heath: No I never wanna work with him again (big smile)

Rove: Oh yeah he's an a-hole

Heath: he's an a-hole man - no he's great and I'd love to work with him again, it's his call

Rove: Now I've heard a rumour that at the after party for The Patriot that Hugh Hefner gave you an open invitation to the playboy mansion. Now is that true?

Heath: Yeah I did actually, I think everyone (laughs) gets an invitation to that place

Rove: Have you been?

Heath: No I haven't been yet

Rove: Well if you do can I come

Heath: (laughs) yeah sure

Rove: Now A Knights Tale opens here July 19th tell us a little about the movie. What's the story about?

Heath: Oh God, it's basically the story of a young man who was brought into the world as a thatcher a squire in medieval times and he aspires to change his style he aspires to become a knight and compete in the jousting tournament and so he does. It's pretty much a sporting movie its running parallels between sporting life today and sporting life back then. Look, God, I hate feeling like a whore promoting my movie for a studio but I really love this movie and its funny and its got romance, and action and all that stuff but it really works and I'm really happy about it and really proud of it.

Rove: Well speaking of all things romance I hear that you met your lady fair Heather Graham while shooting this movie in Prague is that right.

Heath: What's that (Heath taps his ear plug and pretends not to hear)

Rove: Is that like breaking up?

Heath: I can't quite hear what you're saying. Hang on a sec(Takes ear plug out and tries to clean it) Sorry mate I thought you were talking about the movie not my life.

Rove: no sorry. But you guys did meet in Prague that's right isn't it

Heath: Er Yeah

Rove: OK well I must ask because the female viewers watching will kill me if I don't.

Are you still happy are you still a taken man?

Heath: Oh yeah, yeah absolutely

Rove: OK That's all we need to hear, that's all we need to hear. Now finally I must ask you

have we lost you to Hollywood or do you have plans to move back here to Australia.

Heath: Um - yeah I really wanna come back home I really do and its all to do with timing so I don't know when. Sometime soon I really wanna come home and move here. But I just don't know when, at this point.

Rove: That's alright. We'll be glad to have whenever you're ready. Until then will you please thank Heath Ledger.

Heath: (smiles and nods) thank you

Rove: Ah hearts breaking all over the room.