Terry Gilliam: The Movieline Interview

I've read interviews with other directors who said that Heath Ledger was actually somewhat insecure about his acting ability. Did you see that at all?

No, he was enjoying himself so much. He was flying, energized, coming up with new things every day. That happened on Grimm, and then Brokeback Mountain was hard because he'd had such a good time on Grimm. I don't know who the people were who found him difficult. Come on, tell me.

There was just a reputation he had, that he didn't think he was doing a good job on set, that he didn't know if he was capable enough.

The fact is, Heath was always very self-critical. He just wanted to learn his craft and get better. That's what was interesting about him, his exploration. Somehow on this one, he dug in very early and decided what he was going to do, and then he was just flying.

Can you tell me about casting up-and-comers like Andrew Garfield and Lily Cole? You have an eye for young talent -- like you cast Jodelle Ferland in Tideland, and now she's in the upcoming Twilight film.

It's about time. Look how long it took them! She should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Tideland, there's no question. Where were these people? You're in the land of the blind here, and a guy with one eye can see a lot. With Lily, she looked extraordinary, I met her and liked her and she was confident and willing to learn. Looking back, she was probably the biggest gamble, but it paid off and worked. I always need a little bit of danger like that, otherwise it's kind of boring. Andrew put three scenes on tape and sent them in, and each one was three different ways. It was like, "Wow!" It was scary, the choices were so great. I think he's phenomenal.

One last thing I wanted to ask you: There was that Modest Mouse video that Heath directed that was completed posthumously. I had read that you were involved initially, can you tell me how?

He was working on it with a guy named Daniel Auber, who was the storyboard artist on the script. Heath was in London for the Joker, so Daniel came over to work and I gave them the boardroom to my effects company. They were busy working there and I was throwing my two cents in every so often. Actually, if you look at the sun in that video, I am the sun. [Laughs] So they were working in the boardroom and that was the day that I was doing some special effects shows for the guys, and that's when Heath slipped me that note asking, "Can I play Tony in Parnassus?" It was magical.

[Photo Credit: Joe Kohen/WireImage]

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