Dear Heath,
Two months ago, I went to see The Dark Knight again. I knew it would the last chance I would have, at least for a while, to see it on a big IMAX screen where the film has its maximum effect. Once again, I marveled at your extraordinary performance which, exactly one week earlier, had so deservedly won an Oscar.
A role which could have easily become a one-dimensional caricature was brought to life by your work (and the writing of the Nolan brothers) as a believable human being -- a grotesque, frightening, malevolent individual, but a human being nonetheless. Your Joker is scary, funny, unpredictable, rich, deep, and strange -- an iconic performance for the ages, which fully justified the anticipation which had built for over a year before the film’s release. On a second viewing, I noticed and appreciated the small details which attest to your technical facility as a performer and the dedication you brought to your work. But what struck me most this time was an aspect overlooked by many -- your compassion for the Joker. You extended empathy to a character incapable of the emotion himself and whom most people would simply dismiss as a monster.
Those two qualities, careful craftsmanship and a deep capacity for empathy are the signature qualities of your work. They are amply displayed in your beautiful turn as Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain, the talented but tormented movie star in I’m Not There, and so many other roles. Your gift was a rare one and it shone brightly in all-too-brief time you were with us.
I never met you, though I wish I had. But every account, whether from friends of friends who knew you (I’ve had a surprisingly large number of those) or simply from interviews and articles I’ve read, concurs on this -- you were gentle, kind, gracious -- a lovely person as well as a fine actor.
Your passing hit me hard -- I'm empathetic by nature, but there have been only a handful of artists whose loss has affected me so deeply. I grieved for you like I’d lost a close friend. In a sense, I feel I did. When an artist’s work touches you deeply, they can become as much a part of your life as people you know.
I am sad over the work I never will get to see and enjoy, and the long, full, life you deserved to live and didn’t. I cannot imagine what your family and friends must live with for the rest of their lives. At the same time, I am grateful that you passed our way and for the legacy you left. Your legacy has inspired me in my own work as a writer and filmmaker.
You were deeply loved, greatly admired, and are sorely missed. And you will always, always be remembered.
Thank you,
Robert