‘I was speechless’: Director Stephen Gaghan recalls phone call he received after Heath Ledger's sudden death
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Director Stephen Gaghan continues to feel a sense of sadness, even after sixteen years since the tragic death of Heath Ledger.
Gaghan was in the process of working on 'Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,' based on Malcolm Gladwell’s book of the same name, when Ledger died on January 22, 2008.
Subsequently, it was reportedly disclosed that Ledger's passing was accidental, attributed to a combination of substances including OxyContin, Unisom, Vicodin, Valium, Xanax, and Restoril.
Stephen Gaghan was at the airport when he found out about Heath Ledger’s death
The 58-year-old director discussed the moment he received a call from Ledger’s father, Kim, during an episode of Gladwell’s ‘Revisionist History’ podcast.
He revealed, as reported by Fox News, “I think my number was on the script like written. These guys, as you can imagine, are in shock and they dialed that number and I don’t know why.”
The screenwriter continued, “I’m in an airport with my wife [Minnie Mortimer] just going from one place to another, and I literally just collapse, never happened to me before or since."
“My feet went out from under me. I just literally sat down because I was like, 'What?' The emotion, what they were going through, I should not have been a party to in any way really, and yet as a human or as somebody who just cares, I just was there and I was listening and my wife was looking at me.”
“I remember her face and I was just like, I was speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was just really, really sad. And it’s still sad. For me, I just had to put a pin in it,” Gaghan stated.
Stephen Gaghan shared a great bond with Heath Ledger
The director also asserted that his relationship with the ‘The Dark Knight’ star was more than professional.
Initially, Gaghan's top choice for the lead role in 'Blink' was Leonardo DiCaprio. However, after meeting Ledger, he quickly formed a strong bond with him.
“I just had a real connection with him that was kind of unusual and really special to me. I got really excited, and I started seeing him as the main character. Once I started seeing that I couldn’t unsee it,” Gaghan noted.
“I had this feeling that I love this guy and was going to make a bunch of movies with him - and then I got [the] phone call,” he added.
Heath Ledger’s family was devastated after his death
Ledger was 28 when he lost his life. At the time, his family said, as per CNN, “We remain humble as parents and a family, among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child.”
“Few can understand the hollow, wrenching, and enduring agony parents silently suffer when a child predeceases them. Today's results put an end to speculation, but our son's beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts,” they mentioned.
The family also added, “While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy. Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.”
