Originally posted by: MrToilet
Originally posted by: MH2007
Wow, so many people, so quick to condemn this man.
It's on the record that he has a history of health issues due to problems sleeping when he is working on a role.
Specifically regarding the Joker role:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11...iesspecial/04lyal.html
It is a physically and mentally draining role ? his Joker is a ?psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy? he said cheerfully ? and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.
?Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,? he said. ?I couldn?t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.? One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.
Until more details come out to the contrary, I will give this man the benefit of the doubt and believe the preliminary reports from the Police: that it was an accidental tragedy from sleeping pills.
The problem is this:
A. He was found naked, on the floor. Most people I know like to sleep at least in a bed. I really doubt that he was trying to sleep.
B. I really doubt that this was an accident. You either want to go to sleep (take one, maybe two, but not enough to kill you, obviously), or you want to die. There really isn't a middle ground on this one...
C. I'm not out to condemn Heath Ledger himself, more the ludicrous bubble that surrounds Hollywood and the demands that the "system" (meaning the public, and press) puts on the celebrities. It's a terrible combination.