Heath Ledger‘s death had come as a huge shock and sense of loss to Hollywood. Though it has been several years since the legendary actor bid farewell to the world, the sense of loss that the cinema industry felt still reverberates.
The actor left behind a legacy of movies that he did with exceptional roles in them. But many grieve the loss of his immense potential that can take Hollywood to newer heights. Talking about one such lost opportunity and the significance it held in Ledger’s death, ‘Development Hell’ director Stephen Gaghan opened up about a movie that he had almost convinced the actor to take up.
“I Literally Just Collapsed”: Stephen Gaghan Recalls Getting The First Call About Heath Ledger’s Death
Director Stephen Gaghan was speaking on author Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast miniseries when he opened up about the lost opportunity to collaborate with Heath Ledger on the film adaptation of Gladwell’s book, ‘Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking‘.
Gaghan shared the heart-wrenching moment when he received a phone call from Ledger’s father and close friend in 2008. Ledger had passed away at the age of 28, with the script for ‘Blink‘ found beside him.
“They were there with the body, and our script was in bed with him, and your book was on the bedside table,” Gaghan recalled. “I think my number was on the script — like written. These guys are in, as you can imagine, they are in shock. And they dialed that number, and I don’t know why.”
“I literally just collapsed. It’s never happened to me before or since. My feet went out from under me. I just literally sat down because I was like, ‘What? What?’” he said.
“What they were going through I should not have been a party to in any way, really, and yet as a human and somebody who just cares, I just was there and I was listening. My wife was looking at me. I remember her face and I was just speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was just really, really sad. And it’s still sad,” he added.
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Stephen Gaghan Says It Might Be Time To Bring Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Blink’ To Life
Ledger’s unexpected death led Gaghan to put a pause on the ‘Blink‘ adaptation. Reflecting on the script and Ledger’s potential in the role, Gaghan said he had a deep connection with the late actor. “I met Heath Ledger, and I’d gotten to be very, very close with him instantly. 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,” he said.
Though he was initially considering Leonardo DiCaprio for the lead role, Gaghan’s bond with Ledger changed the trajectory. Though the production of the movie stopped because of the circumstances, Gaghan believes the script is “really good“.
“I got it out right before we got on. I was reading it. I was just like… ‘I could be crazy, but I think this script is really good,”’ he told Gladwell on the podcast. “We really had something really special, and we might’ve been ahead of our time or something.”
Malcolm Gladwell echoed this sentiment, suggesting that it might be time to revive the adaptation. “Maybe it’s time to bring Blink back to life. If there’s someone listening in some big office somewhere in Hollywood, I will get on a plane tomorrow if that’s what it takes,” he added.
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