Daniel Day-Lewis Breaks Down Talking About Heath Ledger

Oprah aired an Oscar nominee special Thursday, including an interview with Daniel Day-Lewis. It seemed the interview was taped late Tuesday, hours after news broke that Heath Ledger had passed away. In the middle of trying to discuss his role in "There Will be Blood," Day-Lewis broke down and asked to say a few words about Ledger's death. He didn't know Ledger but, "I have an impression, a strong impression i would have liked him very much as a man if I had."

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Comments

[KevinMast]

Daniel Day-Lewis's recent "performances" about his "grief" over Heath Ledger's death are an insult to Heath's family & loved ones. His passsing is a sad, sad thing, but it is not a personal loss to Daniel Day-Lewis.
I remember reading in Miss Manners that if you go to a funereal, you don't allow your grieving to upstage the grief of the deceased's immediately family. I used to like Lewis's work, but his last several films reveal that he is a ham of the worst type & totally self-serving in all of his actions.

[ruby144]

thousands die every hour. we feel very sad about it but not as sad as when someone like HL dies. obviously... we don't know the faces or personal details, girlfriends, hometowns, hopes and fears of these people do we. we don't know people like HL personally either but the difference is we THINK we do. before this horrific celebrity obsessed culture that we now find ourselves in, this was still the case, albeit not as common .. marilyn monroe, judy garland, elvis, all the kennedys..it's more common now because everything that happens is open to immediate public scrutiny... even wars are played out in full colour, on live streams from the frontline. the reality of the world we live in is so horrific for alot of people that escapism is endemic in us all now, this manifests itself in many ways from going to the cinema to getting wasted on your drug of choice. there is nothing wrong in ordinary people mourning the loss of a very talented, sensitive, somewhat troubled individual who also happened to be easy on the eye, especially when we realise that person had the potential to provide endless more opportunities for us to escape. we're NOT living in a dream world, we're filled with global warming, politicians that have no agenda other than their own, people from all countries being stabbed and shot and sexually abused. self preservation is what got us here and it will probably finish us off, in the meantime... we watch the telly and fall in love with people we don't know and comment on subjects we know fuck all about.... 'cos actually we're all emasculated by the fact that we can't actually do much about anything else. I thought heath ledger was fantastic and i feel sad about what happened to him... i feel this way because i knew what he looked like and he's been in my living room a few times for a couple of hours, i'd feel exactly the same if one of my neighbours died in iraq... because i'd have felt i knew him... a little.

[IMaybeCrazyBut]

I don't know what it is but I was terribly moved by the death of Keith Ledger. I had only seen a few of his movies, and not the one he is seems to be associated with. I saw a light weight teen-age romantic comedy, another light weight and humorous movie with his role as a knight imposter, and Casanova, but the one that should have won him accolades was Four Feathers. Unfortunately it came as we were to invade Iraq and it portrayed Arabs as much more humane and civilized than their British foes and skillful in the strategy of war as well as victors. This was based on the history of Sudan during the campaigns of Gordon. Of course, the British came back and were victorious. But they weren't at first. It was a beautiful film in both context and cinematography. It was a film that the whole family could watch and bring home important and humane values. Although the corporate critics at the time of its release panned it, as one would read in the imdb, the bloggers more recently adored it. I had hoped that although his acting in this film was dismissed, that others would follow. Of course, brokeback mountain gained him fame and he did try to counter the image with the less successful Casanova, I hope that all the press and cultural acceptance of its ridicule was not a factor in this fine actor demise. He seemed to really love his craft and I found his appearance not as a glamerous leading man, but as approachable as the guy next door. I did not know him, I don't know what he was like in his personal life, but I am distressed by the loss of more exceptional performances by one who could have been Cinema's biggest star.

[SpaceyG]

I understand the artist-to-artist connection and deep mutual admiration. Day-Lewis is coming from a highly unique perspective, one he allowed us a smallish window on. I am greately appreciative, if not just a tiny bit squirmy with a wee sense of voyeurism at play.

[Jako]

Its not a "break down". Its a healthy and normal emotional release related to grief. Oh that's right, Huff Po has to sensationalize to get the $$$ and attention it so adores.

[TakLoufer]

Oh. my. God.

I predicted it elsewhere on this thread and damned if this bastard didn't do it: exploiting Ledger's death on the SAG Awards for his own gain.

Cynics (in the Guild) unite! Vote anyone but Daniel Day-Lewis best actor at the Oscars.

[Bluebead]

I also appreciated Daniel Day-Lewis' response to Heath Ledger's death. Day-Lewis is a unique artist who truly understands the harrowing artistic process of an amazing brother. Day-Lewis has been to the rim of the abyss and beyond and he has given his all with his characterizations.
Both artists have shared a similarly extraordinary fiery quest with its inherent challenges and possible pitfalls both within and without. Day Lewis learned over time the art of carefully nurturing his life with other passions and an enriching, healthy lifestyle which includes spacing apart his artistic endeavors.
The enduring elder artist genuinely grieves and gives honor for a talented and kindred young artist's life and demise which could have been his own story years before in time.

[Boobaloo]

Vomit.

The melodrama of all these actors as they trample eachother to get on TV bursting into tears over some guy they never met or knew.

It's all so phoney and disingenuous.

[iggy06]

I think the reason that so many are affected is because it is NORMAL. For the past 30 years, human nature has been purposefully distorted by the PTB. Whether it's our media, video games brainwashing kids to be apathetic about violence and death, or our schools, the US has been dumbed down to a herd of sheep. Those of us who attempt to shine a light on the lies are harrassed, terrorized, even arrested. There is a war on free thinking, and us free-thinkers have a natural tendency for sympathy, truth and justice. We haven't had much of that in the case of Ledger. IMO, Ledger was murdered. Sacrificed.

Since Op Paperclip, our evil is now spinning out of control. To go further, I'd bet that Britney gets it too, just like Anna Nicole. She sure is being set up for a fall. Anna Nicole's teenage son was set to inherit too, until he died mysteriously shortly before her. How convenient...in the Bahamas and that Mr. Stern MARRIED Anna Nicole just 3 months before she died. And why wasn't Stern prosecuted for lying in court about being the father?
I say Heath was murdered and there will be more to come. The media will do it's best to brainwash us with red herrings like Fox's John Gibson's insane statements he made.
It's so ironic that we've had neocon "civil rights groups" like the ADL and B'nai B'rith, vehemently trying to pass "hate laws" in this country, and yet they are the most racist and hate mongering of all! They constantly berate all Gentiles, Arabs, muslims, Christians, etc. They murder and torture women and children and show no remorse. They steal millions, flee to Israel and Israel refuses to extradite.

Do you think a US liberal in the media or politics would be able to get away with calling blacks in this country "cockroaches"? Imus anyone? www.talmudunmasked.comm , www.nogw.com)

People need to trust their own instincts. Human nature and intuition are natural and don't let the media taint your god given abilities.

[jmcvann]

I don't want to bash DDL, but he says himself that he didn't even know HL. I don't know DDL or HL, so I cannot comment on their character. I only know their media presence. I was surprised to head the news of HL's death, but I was not sad about it. I save that for people I have actually connected with.

[mudfiles]

It's always weird when I hear his actual accent.Hope you win, Daniel.

[Chuckwheat]

When did it become a job requirement for HuffPo headline writers to embellish everything with histrionics?
I had higher expectations when HuffPo first started up, but have come to see it as another site to take with many grains of salt; it's become the "fair and balanced" wasteland.

[Hawkeye17]

It's good to know that the greatest living actor on the planet is also a good human being. That was extremely classy on Mr. Lewis' part

[degjack]

Day-Lewis's response was very human, and Oprah's reaction as a person and a host of the program was perfectly okay. She expessed some emotion but maintained control of the show, which Day-Lewis likely appreciated as well.
Some people here are nit-picking.

[NyPrincess]

I don't believe Oprah was being cold-hearted at all. You could see the expression of pain on her face when DDL mentioned HL. DDL asked if HE could say something. It would have been very rude if she jumped in while he was yet expressing his grief and tried to out-grieve him. While I probably would not have mentioned the autopsy at that time, it is normal to want to know why a seemingly otherwise healthy 28 year-old went into full cardiac arrest. I am saddened for the loss of HL’s talent. Not many actors in his age group could hold a candle to him. To me, it’s River Phoenix all over again…