Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger? That’s an unlikely friendship, but it did happen. The two stars worked on The Patriot, where Ledger played the eldest son of Gibson’s character. As a result, right from there, they developed a mentor-mentee relationship.
It looked like the Joker actor looked up to him a lot and respected the veteran for navigating Hollywood perfectly. However, their friendship came to an end when Ledger did something which the Braveheart actor told him not to.
When Heath Ledger Went Against Mel Gibson’s Wishes To Star In A Controversial Film
Heath Ledger had only good things to say about Mel Gibson. He said that just watching the experienced actor allowed him to learn how to approach acting. That’s not all. The actor also admitted that working with the Mad Max star was a big step for his career and life. As for Gibson’s star status, Ledger said that he had none of that and was a down-to-earth individual.
In turn, the Conspiracy Theory star mentored him and guided him. However, when Ledger refused to follow his advice on one occasion, their friendships fell apart. Apparently, when A Knight’s Tale star was offered the role of Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain alongside MCU star Jake Gyllenhaal, Gibson advised him to turn the role down as it could harm his career.
Ledger didn’t comply and their friendship never recovered even though the film became an Oscar-winning classic. There was speculation that The Dark Knight star had starred in Brokeback Mountain because he didn’t want to be labeled as the next Mel Gibson anymore. However, after Ledger’s death, Gibson regretted not talking to him again.
Mel Gibson Regretted Not Repairing His Relationship With Heath Ledger
Mel Gibson regretted holding on to his grudge against Heath Ledger after he passed away. He wished that he had called him before to know what was going on in his life. Gibson said that he didn’t believe that his death was just an accident. The actor said:
“I should have called him years before. I didn’t really know the ins and outs of what was up with him, but I don’t believe it was just an accident. Maybe I could have called him … When you see sort of an impending tragedy or something that might go wrong, it just felt like I should do something about it.”
It has been years now since Ledger passed away. However, his legacy is still enduring. His version of the Joker is still the benchmark that all such performances are measured against. Till now, it doesn’t look like anyone has successfully surpassed it even though Joaquin Phoenix came really close in his celebrated and awarded Elseworlds DC film.
The Patriot is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Guardian
