“That caught my attention too, that none of the obits mention “The Patriot”. As if it’s “poison” because it was made by Mel Gibson.” BTW, I wonder if Mel has commented on Heath’s death.
Which obits are you reading? The ones I read did mention The Patriot. It was his “breakthrough” role, the first “adult” role he had done after a series of teen-age characters. And yes Mel Gibson has commented. Mel said: “I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off, and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss.”
For ex., the New York Times obit says:
“The payoff came in an audition for Mel Gibson’s film “The Patriot” — Mr. Ledger’s second audition; he had walked out of the first, saying his first was no good. He later appeared in .... [a list of his later movies follows].”
The BBC says:
“At the age of 19, Mel Gibson spotted the talent of his fellow Australian and cast him in The Patriot over 500 other hopefuls. Internationally, it proved to be his breakthrough movie.”