Aside from the late Heath Ledger being beloved for having arguably the best portrayal of the Joker in a major movie, the actor also starred in one of the best romantic comedies of all time back in 1999: 10 Things I Hate About You. Following the movie turning 25 years old earlier this year, its director, Gil Junger, reflected on what he knew about the late actor’s struggles just ahead of his death.
Heath Ledger died at the age of 28 back in 2008 when his body was found in his apartment. The toxicology report indicated The Dark Knight actor had died due to an accidental mixture of prescription drugs. When reflecting to People about Ledger, here’s what Junger shared:
This guy was an old soul if you’ve ever met one. It crushed me when he died, because I knew who he was. I knew he was not a drug guy. People change, obviously, but when I knew him … he wasn’t a drug guy at all.
Gil Junger met Heath Ledger while he was casting the leading role of Patrick Verona for 10 Things I Hate About You back in 1998. Ledger had yet to reach his 20s when the Australian actor strolled in amidst over 200 guys apparently reading for the role before him. Junger shared in the interview that Ledger had an “undeniable” energy about him that attracted the filmmaker to casting him in the leading role next to Julia Stiles.
Years later, Ledger was, of course, cast in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. While the actor was finishing up production on the action flick, Junger recalls trying to reach him regarding a script he wrote called 10 Things I Hate About Me. The movie would explore the “myths of suicide.” Here’s what the director recalled his agent, Steve Alexander, told him when he pitched the idea:
‘[Heath is] having a problem turning the character off at night. And he’s having tremendous trouble sleeping because he’s so deep into this complex character. He asked me to just let him be. No calls, no nothing, because he was having so much trouble sleeping.’
The call allegedly was part of Heath Ledger’s final days alive. As Junger continued:
Ten days later, he was dead. From drugs to help him relax, break anxiety and sleep. It’s so sad.
Considering the body of work Heath Ledger had built prior to his death, one has to wonder what we’d be seeing the actor in if he didn’t become a Hollywood star to never make it to 40. If Ledger had not died in 2008, he would have just turned 45 years old back in April.
Junger’s account of Ledger comes as 10 Things I Hate About You continues to be recognized and streamed all the time for those with a Disney+ subscription and Hulu subscription. The movie is a fun Shakespearean spin on The Taming of the Shrew, which also featured Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Allison Janney and Larry Miller. It’s a great movie featuring an enemies to lovers relationship that remains part of Ledger’s memory as a Hollywood star.