Young Heath Ledger Pt 5
Tags: Heath, Heath Ledger, Heath Ledger interview, Kim Ledger
EG: The story is that you walked out of the first audition.
HL: Yeah, I was doing a really crap reading, woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and I just, I was wasting my time, so I stood up and left, and said ‘I am extremely sorry and extremely embarrassed about doing a lousy job and I got to get out of here.’ And so I stood up, shook their hands and walked out. And I guess they just, were curious, you know rang back and said, ‘Hey come back and show us what you really can do then.’ And I was like ‘fuck!’
EG: Some people are sort of calling you the next Mel Gibson, potentially. How does that feel?
HL: I don’t know, it doesn’t feel anything. I don’t feel anything from it. You know it’s just what people call me, I guess, or have called me. I don’t know, whatever. It would obviously be an honor, because he’s awesome. But, um, they’ve said that about everyone.
EG: How would you compare your own relationship with your dad to your relationship with Mel in the film?
HL: Uh, I mean I took similar stands, but you know, my dad is like my best mate. There are similar comparisons, but you know, only the cliché ones.
EG: Your parents split up when you were young.
HL: Yeah when I was like ten, I guess.
EG: Was that hard to deal with?
HL: No, it’s basically just so human, you know. I’ve dumped out with my girlfriends in the past. Same deal, bigger scale.
EG: What’s that from [pointing to a scab on his right index finger].
HL: That? That’s from…oh, I did this on an ax, on set. I peeled off a piece of skin. I’ve got a lot of battle scars lately from swords and shit. Sword fighting. Yeah, well there’s a lot of metal, you know, so you’re always chipping yourself and shit.
EG: So you’re looking to do something a little easier next time out?
HL: Yeah. [laughs] Yeah.
EG: I just watched Ten Things I Hate About You, which I thought came out really good.
HL: Did you?
E: Not as much like the Shakespeare as I thought it was going to be.
HL: Well, its not really Shakespeare. It’s a loose adaptation.
EG: What was working with Julia Stiles like? I’m just about to interview her. It looked like you were having a lot of fun.
HL; Send her my love. Oh yeah, she was really great to work with. You know, she’s a really smart girl. She’s really smart, gorgeous, extremely level headed. She just has such a lovely wisdom about her, with her art, with her craft. In life, in general, she has such wisdom. In a deep way, not like out of a book, she’s got it together in her head and her heart.
Continued in part 6
-FF-
copyright 2000, ECG
