When Heath Ledger passed away on January 22, 2008, people were quick to label him "the next James Dean." Clearly, the two actors did have some similarities between them. Both had portrayed rebellious youth in films (Dean in Rebel Without A Cause and Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You), both were nominated posthumously for Oscar Awards, and both passed away at a tragically young age. However, Ledger's legacy has not lived on quite as Dean's has, and people have just as quickly resumed their search for "the next James Dean" in other young actors.
This is not to say that Ledger was not an extremely talented actor. During his career, he received several awards, including a posthumous Oscar, and was nominated for several more. In an article featured in The New York Times after his death, the actor is quoted saying, "People always feel compelled to sum you up, to presume that they have you and describe you, but there are many stories inside of me and a lot I want to achieve outside of one flat note."
Ledger did indeed pull out several stories by appearing in various types of movies, such as Brokeback Mountain, I'm Not There, and The Dark Knight. Ledger did not ride on the fact that he was a good looking guy in Hollywood. He went after darker, more artistic roles. In order to get into character, Ledger was said to have been a method actor, much like James Dean. In method acting, an actor tries to create the emotions of their character within themselves. Many think that Ledger may have been troubled by the darker emotions required of him when he played the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Heath Ledger was a phenomenal actor, and it is such a shame we were not able to see more great performances from him. He was only 28 years old when he was found dead in his New York apartment.
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