Saturday » September 9 » 2006

Ledger, Murphy Collide in Bat Cave

Actors talked into the wee hours

Shinan Govani
National Post



While Lance Bass was mixing it up with Inuit the other night, two sworn enemies of Batman were conspiring further uptown.

In other words, the film festival started by striking, as it does sometimes, like cupid -- love at first right place at the right time; a peculiar period when the shoulder-rubbing can be unexpected and the freaky juxtapositions provide an infinite well of comedy.

It is a testament to an ancient truism at the festival: the one that says while civilians are trying to schmooze celebrities here, celebrities are often trying to schmooze investors! It's what gives Toronto such an indelible circus atmosphere at this time of year.

And while the spread was a melange downtown, some blocks up there was also plenty to snack on. That's where at Lobby, on Bloor, a late-night buddy-buddy act formed between Heath Ledger and Cillian Murphy.

The guys were at different booths at the back of the newly redone bar, but, once introduced, they certainly weren't. The two of them, I can confirm, got on like Buckingham Palace on fire.

The Irishman is here starring in a film that was a Cannes favourite, The Wind that Shakes the Barley. Heath, the Australian, is here promoting the intriguing Candy. But for those of us who know our Variety, there was a subtext to their fast-growing acquaintance: While Cillian played Mr. Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins last year, Heath, nominated more recently for Brokeback Mountain, has already signed on to be in the upcoming Bruce Wayne sequel. As the Joker.

Were some Batty tips passed on? We certainly think so. In fact, Cillian, who's the biggest acting name out of Ireland since Colin Farrell and is the spooky-eyed fella from films such as Red Eye and Breakfast on Pluto, didn't leave his Gotham cohort until about 3:30 a.m.

"His driver was waiting for him for hours," a spy tells me. "Because he said he was leaving hours ago."

Heath - earlier in the day stopped by solo at Il Posto in Yorkvile, where he read a book and ate some soup.


*(Edited for relevance by HH Admin.)

Source: canada.com