Did Batman stress lead to Joker Heath Ledger's death?

Couriermail ^ | 22 Jan 08 | Lisa Yallamas

[SkyPilot]

Excerpt....

And bloggers like Scottykazz on Superman homepage says "I hope his reportedly insane work as the Joker didn't put him over the edge."

A blogger named Ojacko points to The Internet Media Database's Batman Returns entry: “Ledger found the role extremely difficult, and suffered insomnia as a result.”

'It is a physically and mentally draining role (his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy”......“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.”

[SkyPilot]

His death at such a young age (28)is tragic. He left behind a little daughter he apparently loved very much.

From the article:

"Joker is a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy...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."

Perhaps, just perhaps, playing such a dark, evil role had a terrible affect on him. He obviously thought so.

This wasn't the campy, funny, comic book role of the Joker on the television series.

This was something much more darker, much more disturbing.

Hollywierd and liberals will tell us this was just a "fictional" role, and shout "so what."

Maybe, it was more than that to him at least.

Prayers to his family.

[the invisib1e hand]

yeah. evil plays for keeps.

People just don't get it.

[gr8eman]

Perhaps, just perhaps, playing such a dark, evil role had a terrible affect on him. He obviously thought so.

Funny...I never heard anyone say that when he played a gay sodomist philanderer. Oops...I forgot...it's not politically correct.

[theDentist]

I doubt the role was at fault. I’m leaning towards the addiction angle. When they show him interviewed from his earlier years, fresh on the scene, he’s relaxed and laughing etc. But the latest interviews his mannerisms are all over the place, fidgeting like hell... looks like he’s dying for a fix. I hope I am wrong, and it was accidental.

[1rudeboy]

crazy criminal mass-murderer
sodomist philanderer

Yeah, I see it. /s

[gridlock]

Some roles are more effecting than others. The intent of The Dark Knight books and movie is to ratchet up the intensity of the old, familiar Batman stories to an extreme level. Mission accomplished.

[IndyTiger]

With Ledger’s death, this film is now sure to be the blockbuster of the summer.

[ConservativeMind]

Even one of the most conservative publications in the United States, The New Republic, says Ledger’s gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain was...”the most vivid, moving, original performances of the last 20 years or more”.

Obviously, it wasn’t just Heath doing the drugs.

[Hacklehead]

Yes. Playacting some fictional character and speaking lines that someone else wrote for huge sums of money is soooo stressful.

[Ditto]

This wasn't the campy, funny, comic book role of the Joker on the television series. This was something much more darker, much more disturbing.

IT'S A CARTOON CHARACTER! If playing that part stressed him so bad, it is a good thing he never lived in the real world.

[netmilsmom]

I’m leaning toward the pneumonia angle.
Along with the respiratory problems, if the script they gave him was Ambien, THAT is a problem in itself. Because Ambien doesn’t effect one’s REM, patients have been know to not realize they are asleep.

My theory, he took Ambien, woke up, thought he hadn’t slept, took more Ambien. With the respiratory suppression of the Ambien along with the constriction of the pneumonia, his system couldn’t take it and he died.

But what do I know?

[SJSAMPLE]

I hope so.

I remember when he was referred to as "The Batman" with a sense of dread.

Then, DC had him walking down the street in broad daylight, waving to kids while the batmobile sat unmolested at the curb.

[RDTF]

you obviously know nothing about acting

[PBRSTREETGANG]

“Batman Stress Disorder”?

Or perhaps (unlike most of Hollywood) the separation from his wife and two-year-old daughter had a serious impact on him.

[SIDENET]

Even one of the most conservative publications in the United States, The New Republic, says Ledger's gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain was..."the most vivid, moving, original performances of the last 20 years or more".

Uh...

[theDentist]

But what do I know?

Well, on that angle, more than I. I'm not very knowledgable of Ambien, or such effects it can have.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Plausible scenario.

I saw an article on Bloomberg News that mentioned that he had been taking Ambien.

[RGSpincich]

'It is a physically and mentally draining role (his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy”.

Hey buddy. That's pretend. This real world out here is a lot more spooky.

[netmilsmom]

>>I’m not very knowledgable of Ambien, or such effects it can have.<<

Office manager for 2 Psychs and 3 therapists in the 90’s. But it’s been a while....

[Rte66]

There was reportedly also Xanax and some over-the-counter medicine, not sure what that was, in addition to the Ambien.

Also, they said the Ambien hadn’t worked for him, so I’m not even sure that was in his system - his docs may have substituted something else.

Now, if it was chloral hydrate, we’ll know the culprit drug. (I seriously doubt it was - only Anna Nicole Smith’s doc has ordered that for anybody in recent years - and I’m sure Heath didn’t have a Marilyn Monroe fixation - it had been her death drug, too.)

Had heard he once went to rehab, so there was addiction in his past - now I’m wondering about Ambien even more than usual, because it “didn’t work” for Anna Nicole, either. Wonder if this is a contraindication for it - don’t prescribe it to addicts or recovering addicts.