'Physical' star Rose Byrne hails late Heath Ledger as 'champion' for getting her work in Hollywood
There is no doubt that Heath Ledger was a special talent, but it looks like he also paved the way for several actors that were finding it difficult to find work in the US. One of the actors that he helped initially is none other than Rose Byrne, who has mesmerized everyone with her impeccable acting in several projects.
The Australian actress made her Hollywood debut in 2002 with the movie ‘Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones’ and went on to have supporting roles in several projects. However, Byrne started gaining worldwide recognition in the late 2000s and since then, has been featured in several award-worthy titles. Byrne and Ledger both hail from Australia and it is never an easy task for people outside the US to come here and get great work. But Ledger proved how loyal he is to his loved ones by helping Byrne in getting roles when she came to the US in search of acting gigs.
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‘The Dark Knight’ star and Byrne were friends since 1999 and worked together in the Australian movie ‘Two Hands’.
Speaking in an interview with The Independent, the 42-year-old actress from New South Wales, Australia, opened up about her career and discussed how her pal from the same country was “instrumental” in setting a strong foundation for her career. In her discussion, the ‘Insidious’ star stated how “outsiders” found it difficult to find work in the US and they all had to stick together if they needed to find appropriate gigs.
Byrne called the late actor a “champion” and called him “instrumental” in finding work for a lot of actors like her.
“It was a whole mix of us: actors who got work, actors who didn’t. Being Australian, you’re outsiders, aliens, so you’ve got to band together. Heath was a real champion of that. He left early and started to get work here. He was so instrumental in helping me and a lot of people get work and get into rooms,” Byrne said during the interview.
The ‘Physical’ star also noted that she and other young actors used to stay at Ledger’s house in Los Feliz while trying to find work in Hollywood when they were in their “late teens or early twenties”.
Ledger received his first role in Hollywood with the 1999 movie ’10 Things I Hate About You’. Since then, he was seen playing pivotal roles in several movies such as ‘The Patriot’, ‘Monster’s Ball’, ‘A Knight’s Tale’, and ‘The Brothers Grimm’. However, his role in the 2005 Oscar-nominated movie ‘Brokeback Mountain’ changed the landscape of his career. Ledger gained wider recognition with the movie and went on to receive the Best Actor nod at the Academy Awards.
On the other hand, the late actor stunned everyone with his diabolical side in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’. Ledger played the role of Joker in the movie and wreaked havoc on the streets of Gotham. At first, fans were not pleased with the decision of Ledger to be the Clown Prince of Gotham. However, as soon as the movie came out, he instantly outclassed Jack Nicholson’s version of Joker and became an instant superstar. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see the impact he created on the minds of people with his performance because he died on January 22, 2008, as a result of an accidental overdose of medications.
The star won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie.
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Earlier this year, Ledger’s ‘Brokeback Mountain’ co-star Jake Gyllenhaal also praised the late star for his devotion to acting and movies. He said, “There were many jokes being made about the movie, or poking fun at, things like that. And [Ledger’s] consummate devotion to how serious and important the relationship between these two characters was — it showed me how devoted he was as an actor and how devoted we both were to the story and the movie.”
Byrne can currently be seen playing the role of Sheila Rubin in the hit Apple TV+ drama ‘Physical’.
