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Ledger: The Light and the Dark

AO Scott finds more than a troubled soul in Ledger's work

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 23, 2008 8:09 PM CST

(Newser) – In the frenzy surrounding actor Heath Ledger’s sudden death, it's tempting to conflate the “troubled, brooding, self-destructive” qualities he portrayed so stunningly—in Brokeback Mountain’s Ennis Del Mar, the heroin addict in Candy, the unhappy film star in I’m Not There—with some hidden anguish of his own. But to do so is to do a disservice to Ledger’s acting talents, writes New York Times critic AO Scott in an appreciation.

More than “expressions of inner torment,” Scott writes, Ledger’s melancholic characters should be seen as “evidence of resourcefulness, creative restlessness and wit,” qualities that were also showcased in the actor’s less-discussed roles. Scott cites Ledger’s performances in Lords of Dogtown, Casanova and Brothers Grimm, which “complement and complicate” the too-easy vision of Ledger as a cinematic Kurt Cobain.

In this photo provided by Columbia/TriStar Pictures', Heath Ledger stars as Skip Engblom in Lords of Dogtown. (AP Photo/Columbia/TriStar Pictures, Jaimie Trueblood)
In this photo provided by Columbia/TriStar Pictures', Heath Ledger stars as Skip Engblom in "Lords of Dogtown. (AP Photo/Columbia/TriStar Pictures, Jaimie Trueblood)   (Associated Press)
Heath Ledger in Lasse Hallström's 'Casanova' (2005).
Heath Ledger in Lasse Hallström's 'Casanova' (2005).   (AP)
This undated handout photo provided by The Weinstein Company shows Heath Ledger  in Todd Haynes' I'm Not There.   (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Jonathan Wenk)
This undated handout photo provided by The Weinstein Company shows Heath Ledger in Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Jonathan Wenk)   (Associated Press)
This undated photo supplied by Focus Features shows Heath Ledger, left, and Jake Gyllenhaal  in Ang Lees Brokeback Mountain.  Ledger was found dead Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 at a downtown Manhattan residence, police said. He was 28. (AP Photo/Focus Features, Kimberly French)
This undated photo supplied by Focus Features shows Heath Ledger, left, and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lees "Brokeback Mountain." Ledger was found dead Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 at a downtown Manhattan residence,...   (Associated Press)
Australian actor Heath Ledger poses at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this March 31, 2001 file photo. Ledger was found dead Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 at a downtown Manhattan residence, police said. He was 28. (AP Photo/Michael Caulfield)
Australian actor Heath Ledger poses at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this March 31, 2001 file photo. Ledger was found dead Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 at a downtown Manhattan residence,...   (Associated Press)
This undated file photo, originally provided by Focus Features, shows actors Jake Gyllenhaal, left, and Heath Ledger in a scene from Brokeback Mountain.  The film is a prime example of what a study by University of California-Davis psychology professor Dean Simonton says should be one of filmdom's  critical darlings or...
This undated file photo, originally provided by Focus Features, shows actors Jake Gyllenhaal, left, and Heath Ledger in a scene from "Brokeback Mountain." The film is a prime example of what a study...   (Associated Press)
A makeshift memorial for the deceased actor Heath Ledger is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008, outside the apartment building where his body was found in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. Authorities said the death was a possible overdose, but were awaiting the results of an autopsy set for Wednesday....
A makeshift memorial for the deceased actor Heath Ledger is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008, outside the apartment building where his body was found in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. Authorities said...   (Associated Press)
A flower for the deceased actor Heath Ledger sits on a pipe outside the building where his body was found Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 in the Soho neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Gary He)
A flower for the deceased actor Heath Ledger sits on a pipe outside the building where his body was found Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008 in the Soho neighborhood of New York. (AP Photo/Gary He)   (Associated Press)
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