By Kate Dennett, Daily Mail Australia
March 1, 2024 03:19, updated March 1, 2024 03:20
Stephen Gaghan has revealed heartbreaking new details about Heath Ledger’s tragic death for the first time.
The 58-year-old Hollywood director spoke about the shocking phone call he received from Heath’s father, Kim, after Heath’s death on January 22, 2008.
Mr Heath tragically died at the age of 28 from an accidental drug overdose in his New York apartment, but now, 16 years later, Mr Stephen has told how he found out the news.
He talked about the film he was planning to make with Heath, Blink, on Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast Revisionist History: Development Hell, which explores projects that never made it to the screen.
On the podcast, he explained how Heath was found with a copy of Brink’s script by his side, while a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s book sat on his nightstand.
The screenwriter told how Heath’s father, Kim, whom he had never met, saw his phone number written in the script and called him after arriving on the scene in a moment of shock and sadness. Ta.
Speaking about the phone for the first time, he recalled: “My father and the person closest to him in his professional life. They were there with the body and our script was in bed with him. [Gladwell’s] The book was on the bedside table.
“I think my number was scripted. As you can imagine, they were shocked and dialed the number, but I don’t know why.”
He shockingly said he “broke down” after learning the heartbreaking news over the phone while at the airport with his wife Minnie Mortimer.
“I’m at the airport with my wife, we’re going from one place to another, and we literally just collapse. It’s never happened to me before or since,” he said. .
“My foot came out from under me. I was like, ‘What?’ and I literally sat down.
“The feelings, what they were going through, I should never have been a party to it, but as a human being, or just someone who cares, I was just there listening, and my wife was looking at me.”
“I remember her face, but I was speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was really, really sad. And it’s still sad. In my case, I just put a pin in. did.”
Stephen also reflected on his “really special” bond with Heath and how he had plans to make “a bunch of movies” with the Joker star before his tragic death.
“I met Heath Ledger and immediately became very, very close to him. I had a real connection with him, which was rare for me and something really special.” he shared.
“There was a sense that I loved this guy and was going to make a lot of movies with him. [the] phone. ‘
Stephen said that following news of Heath’s death, he decided to “put the pin in” plans for the Blink movie after several years of development.
He explained that he had previously considered Leonardo DiCaprio for the lead role, but after meeting Heath, he couldn’t think of anyone else to play the character.
Stephen is best known for his work on the 2020 films Dolittle, 2016’s Gold, and 2005’s Syriana, as well as writing the screenplay for Steven Soderbergh’s film Traffic. ing.
