HEATH, the darling of Venice!
Was there ever any doubt?
Meeting the expectations of Heath fans everywhere, but exceeding expectations of the press who have highly underestimated him for years, our man has wowed Venice, Hollywood, and critics alike with his incredible range.
For the past several months, I have been predicting an Oscar in 2006 for our guy.
But now . . . let the official buzz begin! :cheers:
Please discuss Venice articles in the FESTIVAL DISCUSSION THREAD.
Thank you.
QUOTE
Hard-working Ledger the new darling of the Venice festival
Sun Sep 4, 7:26 AM ET
AFP Photo: Heath Ledger arrives at
the premiere of Casanova during
the 62nd Venice International
Film Festival
VENICE, Italy (AFP) - Move aside George Clooney -- Australia's answer to "Gorgeous George," young Heath Ledger is fast taking over the Venice film festival, fronting three new movies premiering here and eclipsing the former festival darling.
Clooney's film opened the official competition for the Golden Lion with "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Many here believe he may well be back to claim the award for best film when the event winds up next weekend, but meanwhile the mantle of festival seducer has passed to Ledger.
When Italy's leading daily Corriere della Sera repeatedly referred to the 28*-year-old as "Heat Ledger" in one of its Venice reviews last week, it may not have been unintentional, so commercially hot has he become.
It helps, of course, when you've just conquered audiences with your portrayal as devil-may-care "Casanova," just one side of an extraordinarily versatile acting talent on display across three movies being screened here.
"I, too, have an appreciation for love, just not as many," quipped the actor, sporting a crew-cut under a jauntily-tilted baseball cap at a press conference to publicise the film.
"Obviously it's a pleasure to be here, to have three films here, though it's pure coincidence," he said.
"To tell you the truth it's exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm exhausted and I've only just finished promoting the first one.
"I think I'm in denial and pretending to be here just supporting one film, but I really want to represent every film properly," he added before discreetly turning away to apply some lip balm.
In the first of his films to screen here, "Brokeback Mountain," Ang Lee's adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's short story, Ledger plays a conflicted and inarticulate cowboy struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality.
He exploded onto the screen the very next day in "Casanova," bringing wit and sword-swishing dash in the title role of Lasse Hallstrom's enjoyable romp.
Another day, another movie, and Ledger once again appears, this time in
Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," in which he outshines co-star
Matt Damon as the bespectacled Jacob Grimm, one of the legendary fairytale scribes.
"Casanova" director Hallstrom was full of praise for the young actor's concentration and versatility: "He's reworked the script every day. He's involved in every aspect of the movie. I think he's going to make movies himself some day, in fact I think he's making them already."
For now, the rangy Australian is happy to have the demands of making such diverse films in the past year behind him.
"Brokeback Mountain was such an excruciating shoot, pretty horrendous at times. This was like a working holiday by comparision," he said of filming "Casanova" over four months in the more pleasing surrounds of Venice.
Ledger's previous films include Shekar Kapur's "Four Feathers," and "A Knight's Tale." He appeared opposite Billy Bob Thornton and oscar winning Halle Berry in the critically acclaimed "Monster's Ball," Mel Gibson's "The Patriot," and most recently in "Ned Kelly."
An actor since he joined a local theatre company in his native Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 10, he subsequently came to public attention by picking up roles in Australian soaps like "Home and Away."
He only moved to the United States a few years ago after landing a breakthrough part in an American tv series "Roar" was was filmed in Australia in 1997.
Sun Sep 4, 7:26 AM ET
AFP Photo: Heath Ledger arrives at
the premiere of Casanova during
the 62nd Venice International
Film Festival
VENICE, Italy (AFP) - Move aside George Clooney -- Australia's answer to "Gorgeous George," young Heath Ledger is fast taking over the Venice film festival, fronting three new movies premiering here and eclipsing the former festival darling.
Clooney's film opened the official competition for the Golden Lion with "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Many here believe he may well be back to claim the award for best film when the event winds up next weekend, but meanwhile the mantle of festival seducer has passed to Ledger.
When Italy's leading daily Corriere della Sera repeatedly referred to the 28*-year-old as "Heat Ledger" in one of its Venice reviews last week, it may not have been unintentional, so commercially hot has he become.
It helps, of course, when you've just conquered audiences with your portrayal as devil-may-care "Casanova," just one side of an extraordinarily versatile acting talent on display across three movies being screened here.
"I, too, have an appreciation for love, just not as many," quipped the actor, sporting a crew-cut under a jauntily-tilted baseball cap at a press conference to publicise the film.
"Obviously it's a pleasure to be here, to have three films here, though it's pure coincidence," he said.
"To tell you the truth it's exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm exhausted and I've only just finished promoting the first one.
"I think I'm in denial and pretending to be here just supporting one film, but I really want to represent every film properly," he added before discreetly turning away to apply some lip balm.
In the first of his films to screen here, "Brokeback Mountain," Ang Lee's adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's short story, Ledger plays a conflicted and inarticulate cowboy struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality.
He exploded onto the screen the very next day in "Casanova," bringing wit and sword-swishing dash in the title role of Lasse Hallstrom's enjoyable romp.
Another day, another movie, and Ledger once again appears, this time in
Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," in which he outshines co-star
Matt Damon as the bespectacled Jacob Grimm, one of the legendary fairytale scribes.
"Casanova" director Hallstrom was full of praise for the young actor's concentration and versatility: "He's reworked the script every day. He's involved in every aspect of the movie. I think he's going to make movies himself some day, in fact I think he's making them already."
For now, the rangy Australian is happy to have the demands of making such diverse films in the past year behind him.
"Brokeback Mountain was such an excruciating shoot, pretty horrendous at times. This was like a working holiday by comparision," he said of filming "Casanova" over four months in the more pleasing surrounds of Venice.
Ledger's previous films include Shekar Kapur's "Four Feathers," and "A Knight's Tale." He appeared opposite Billy Bob Thornton and oscar winning Halle Berry in the critically acclaimed "Monster's Ball," Mel Gibson's "The Patriot," and most recently in "Ned Kelly."
An actor since he joined a local theatre company in his native Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 10, he subsequently came to public attention by picking up roles in Australian soaps like "Home and Away."
He only moved to the United States a few years ago after landing a breakthrough part in an American tv series "Roar" was was filmed in Australia in 1997.
*Heath is 26.