Heath Ledger doco hits Aussie screens

Alicia Vrajlal
Updated

Afrer having debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, the I Am Heath Ledger documentary is set to hit Australian screens this week.

A promo for the documentary to be aired on Channel Seven shows behind-the-scenes footage shot by the actor himself.

The footage will feature throughout the 90-minute film, which also includes interviews with close friends, family and Hollywood colleagues, like ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts, actors Ben Mendelsohn and Emile Hirsch, musician Ben Harper, and director Ang Lee.

Afrer having debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, the I Am Heath Ledger documentary is set to hit Australian screens this week. Source: Channel Seven
Afrer having debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, the I Am Heath Ledger documentary is set to hit Australian screens this week. Source: Channel Seven

Filmmaker Matt Amatu says that the father-of-one "wanted fame and when he got it, didn't want it anymore", while childhood friend Trevor DiCarlo adds the star was "always a director. Acting was just a way to get there".

The documentary will also give a behind-the-scenes look at Heath preparing for his role as The Joker for The Dark Knight, a role that earned him a posthumous Oscar.

Heath died in January 2008 at age 28 of cardiac arrest.

A promo for the documentary to be aired on Channel Seven shows behind-the-scenes footage shot by the actor himself. Source: Channel Seven
A promo for the documentary to be aired on Channel Seven shows behind-the-scenes footage shot by the actor himself. Source: Channel Seven
The footage will feature throughout the 90-minute film, which also includes interviews with close friends, family and Hollywood colleagues, like ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts. Source: Channel Seven
The footage will feature throughout the 90-minute film, which also includes interviews with close friends, family and Hollywood colleagues, like ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts. Source: Channel Seven

He left behind three-year-old daughter Matilda who he shared with former partner, actress Michelle Williams, in 2005.

Heath and former partner Michelle Williams. Source: Getty Images.
Heath and former partner Michelle Williams. Source: Getty Images.
The actor died in 2008 from a prescription drug overdose. Source: Getty
The actor died in 2008 from a prescription drug overdose. Source: Getty
The couple shared daughter Matilda. Michelle with Matilda in 2009. Source: Getty Images.
The couple shared daughter Matilda. Michelle with Matilda in 2009. Source: Getty Images.

Nine years after the actor's life was cut tragically short, the documentary's director Derik Murray says the Heath's final days painted a picture of a “very sensitive man” who was suffering deep "unhappiness".

“At some point in time, it unraveled for him,” Derik told People earlier this year, adding, “I think it was tough for him to keep up with who he was".

RELATED: Inside Heath Ledger's sad final days
RELATED: Heath Ledger's sleepless nights before tragic death

Meanwhile close friend and dialect coach Gerry Grennell, who lived with Heath while he was filming what would be his last film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, said the star was battling illness and was “exhausted, emotionally and physically” in the final weeks of his life.

For confidential help, call Lifeline at 13 11 14 or visit https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories