Episode #170 | 04.16.24
Heath Ledger: Cowboys, Junkies, and Maniacal Clowns
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In this episode
Heath Ledger’s preparation for and disappearance into his movie roles is legendary, and it’s what helped him play repressed cowboys, junkies, and maniacal clowns equally well. His research led him to junkies who taught him how to properly shoot up using a stolen prosthetic arm and fake blood, and to a personal diary full of cut-and-paste madness. The paparazzi, however, mocked Heath’s method, and took their very public quarrel with him to duplicitous lengths when he was baited with drugs at a notorious Hollywood hotel.
Sources
I Am Heath Ledger (2017, dir. Derik Murray, Adrian Buitenhuis)
Too Young to Die: Heath Ledger (2012, dir. Dag Freyer)
Heath Ledger: Hollywood's Dark Star, by Brian J. Robb
Late Nights With Heath Ledger: Stories From the Set of ‘A Knight’s Tale’ (The Ringer)
Brokeback Mountain: 10 Years On (Out.com)
Exclusive Interview: Heath Ledger (CANDY) (Movie Hole)
Paparazzi Manipulated Heath Ledger Into Doing Drugs on Film, Reporter Says (Courthouse News)
Masseuse made 4 calls to Olsen twin after finding Heath Ledger's lifeless body (NY Times)
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Bob Proehl.
Copy edited by Pat Healy.
Scored and mixed by Colin Fleming.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
DISGRACELAND theme song, “Crenshaw Space Boogie,” written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava, and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak