Heath Ledger - you will be missed

I know Oscar nominations came out yesterday, and you'll read my opinions on those in the next couple days... right now I'd like to write a few words about Heath Ledger, in honor of his passing.

I somehow missed out on the whole Ten Things I Hate About You phenomenon when it was released in the late 1990s, and since we didn't have cable, I didn't see that movie until I was in college.

My introduction to Heath Ledger was in Monster's Ball. I saw this movie in theaters with one of my best friends - we were by far the youngest people there. I can still remember sitting there in the dark, watching Billy Bob Thornton interacting with this guy who was playing his son. I wasn't really aware of who Heath Ledger was, but I remember the scene where his character throws up while walking a prisoner down the hallway, then getting yelled at by Billy Bob Thornton's character. And then that scene - that scene in their living room - where Billy Bob's character says that he doesn't love his son, and Heath Ledger's character goes "Well I always loved you" and then he shoots himself. When I think about that movie, that scene stands out to me above all - even above the whole "Make me feeeeeeeel good" scene.

Though Heath Ledger never topped my ever-changing "Favorite Actor" list, I completely admire his work. He always was playing someone unlike his previous characters and even if the movie was crappy, he was still a creative force to be reckoned with. Take something like The Brothers Grimm... on a whole, that movie was not that great (Terry Gilliam is very hit-or-miss... this was a miss"), but Heath Ledger and Matt Damon owned those roles and made the movie watchable. Heath Ledger was funny - and it's a shame he'll never get to be in a flat-out comedy.

I was not on the Brokeback Mountain wagon... I thought the movie was good and the cinematography and locations were amazing, but I didn't think it was worth the hype. Heath Ledger's performance in that film was, though... I saw it twice in theaters (I really wanted to love this movie - but I just couldn't... I like it, though...) and his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar was so reserved, and so painful to watch because you could see in his eyes what he would never, ever speak.

This summer, when I'm sitting in a crowded theater watching The Dark Knight, I'll have a personal moment of silence, because before I even see the movie, I know his take on The Joker is going to be friggin' amazing. When I heard he got the part, I was a little skeptical - but after seeing pictures, hearing his voice on the teaser trailer, and then actually seeing the real trailer... this was a part he was meant to play.

Though it saddens me that we will be missing out on some amazing performaces that he will never get a chance to own, I can't help but feel even sadder for his daughter and family for their personal loss.

You will be missed Heath Ledger... you will be missed.