Heath Ledger: The Heath is On

Q: As the real star of the movie, what do you now know about having to, as they say, drive the bus, the way a Mel or a Tom does?

A: You can't drive it without a good supporting cast. Even if you're the lead in a movie, it's ensemble work. It's so not about you.

Q: Did you know a lot about Brian Helgeland's work before shooting the movie?

A: I saw his cut of Payback and really liked it. I didn't realize how talented he was. He's an amazing writer. I was blind to the mastery he smuggled into this movie, a rich heartbeat to the whole film.

Q: What made you want to pick up the role Jude Law almost took in Four Feathers?

A: It's a lead role. We've already shot for three months in Morocco, and it was tough, tough, tough, man. It was 18 hours a day, six days a week. It kept me on my toes. We've done the guts of the movie--the "beard" sequences [Laughing]--and now we've got another three months to do in London. Gluing on those beards was a nightmare.

Q: This film stars a who's who of upcoming actors. Who did you click with?

A: The collaboration of filmmakers on this movie is outstanding. Shekhar Kapur, the director, and Robert Richardson, the director of photography, are awesome. My costar Djimon [Hounsou] is a beautiful, beautiful guy. I love him. We're really good friends and he's such a wonderful actor. We clicked like brothers. We are brothers. I haven't done as much work with Wes Bentley or with Kate Hudson yet.

Q: Cate Blanchett said she felt like she was in experienced hands with Kapur when he directed her in Elizabeth. What's your take on him?

A: He's very deliberate. He sat us down every day for a month to talk about every niche of every character. His notes for the script are bigger than the script. He supplies you with the brain for your character so that when you show up, you know how to do everything. He said, "Just leave all that information in the back of your head and draw from it." If you turn up to work for Shekhar, you'd better have studied the night before.

Q: It must be interesting to be doing Four Feathers for Miramax Films. Didn't Harvey Weinstein pull the plug a few years ago on Calcio, a Miramax movie in which you were going to star, because he wasn't sold on you?

A: Yes. That was about three years ago. Harvey Weinstein didn't want to use me. I guess he didn't want to greenlight it because he thought I couldn't bring in the dollars. He didn't know me or anything. Ironic, isn't it?

Q: I'll bet you and your agents made negotiations very interesting on Four Feathers.

A: [Laughing] Yeah, like, [miming cutting a throat] "Remember me?"

Q: You were offered the starring role in Spider-Man, but turned it down, allowing Tobey Maguire to snap it up. Any regrets?

A: I think its going to be a fantastic movie, but they've got the right guy now. Tobey is going to be great and he's got a passion for it, whereas I never read the comics. I'd feel like I was stealing someone's dream.

Q: Weren't you also talked about to star in X-Men, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Ride with the Devil, Fight Club and The Perfect Storm?

A: They all float by. My agents get so annoyed. Half the time, I tell them, "Just don't bother me with anything unless it's really something right." Sometimes I don't even know what's going back and forth between the studios and my agency. I have to be really careful because at this point in my career, people just want to hire me to hire me. They tell you, "You're perfect for any role," even if the guy is divorced with two kids and he's been a fisherman for 20 years. I'm like, "I'm 21," and they're like, "That's OK, we can write him younger." Then I'll say, "I'm not right for this role. You're just giving it to me because other people want to use me." You have to stay true to what you think.

Q: What's your take on why Americans are taking to Aussies like Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and yourself?

A: My friends and I have a theory about the stagnant quality of acting that is coming out of Hollywood right now. It's some strange circle of actors imitating actors, all living in the same city, all breathing down each other's necks, going to the same places, the same parties. Even the younger actors are seeing how these other actors-imitating-actors act. It's a matter of Hollywood reaching out for new blood. And it's fashion--Australians right now are in fashion.

Q: How are you perceived in Australia?

A: If you make it in America, Australians love to stamp you with their flag and claim you as theirs. But when I was living there, no one was giving me work.

Q: What types of films would you love to do?

A: Musicals, like those amazing ones with Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. They're what made me want to do movies in the first place. Musicals transport us to other places, where actors can really play it up. I guess in some people's eyes, guys dancing around can look queeny, but I think it's very, very cool.

Q: How do you like seeing yourself on the big screen?

A: It's always a little weird. I have a strange mug. See me from different angles and I look very different. The camera does whatever it wants to do with me and that's beyond my control.

Q: How good of an actor do you think you are?

A: I think I'm all right. I'm learning. With acting, there isn't any rule book. People try to write rule books on acting, but that's like trying to give someone a rule book on how to think, which they do in L.A. It's such a strange concept to try to make acting competitive, like with all the awards and all. How do you judge one performance against another? Would they give an award for Best Person of the Year? Like, we've looked around and you're the best person this year. I mean, why?

Q: So, I take it you're not too big on the Oscars.

A: At the end of the day, the Academy Awards are just a big fucking TV show. I mean, who really gives a shit? It's only a big show because they drag in every star in the book, broadcast it all around the world and so it makes big bucks. Take away the TV show, the glitz and glam and none of the actors would show up. If the Oscars were just in some hotel with someone going, "Here's your award," it'd be like, "Fuck it." Who'd turn up?

Q: What are you going to do when they want to trot you out in a tux with a beautiful copresenter on your arm?

A: Oh, but that's fun. That's like "Ye Olde Hollywood Tradition." Everyone wants to step down that red carpet and live movie magic.

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