Our Heath continued...

Heath personalizes his acting…

In the lead up to the Golden Globes, Ledger admitted to US media sources that his depiction of the character he played in Brokeback Mountain was primarily inspired by his Australian Uncle, Neil Bell (60 years old)…once the Aussie media picked up on this, they landed on Bell’s doorstep – the poor bloke faced with many journalists wanting answers – how were you the inspiration behind Ledger’s character? HE said he did not want to talk about his sexuality…

Ledger told the US media that his uncle inspired him because he saw him as a tough Aussie ‘fair dinkum’ bloke, a talented fighter…who was gay. Ever since, I think the media have been depicting Ledger’s gender (the fact that he is straight and has a partner etc aside) as someone who is tough with that sensitive side as well.

This statement by Ledger, further personalizes the situation and issues the media had been thriving on. By relating the gay issues brought up in Brokeback Mountain with his personal experience, Ledger was doing exactly what the media had been attempting to do for weeks – making links between Ledger and his character.

How often do the media make lofty comparisons between actor’s characters and their real lives and their actions…and I think this can be related to prominent people’s public roles and their real lives, and the expectations that flow from this.