Sir Heath rides

Jousting saga gives the red-hot Aussie a stab at his first leading-man role

Heath Ledger in "A Knight's Tale."

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(May 11, 2001) -- For Heath Ledger, the hardest part of making A Knight's Tale over the summer in the Czech Republic was resting between takes, wearing the heavy, 15th-century armor of a tournament jouster.

"It was like sitting in a tea kettle," says the red-hot 22-year-old, who plays a squire pretending to be a knight so he can joust.

"I couldn't even scratch myself."

Now, because of his flashy role in the first of the summer blockbusters -- and his previous work in The Patriot and 10 Things I Hate About You -- Hollywood types are lining up to scratch him.

He'll have to wear the armor just to go the mall.

And when actress and current girlfriend Heather Graham is on Ledger's arm, the stardom hoopla threatens to go supernova.

"I don't allow myself to think about it," he says, "I don't indulge in it.

"But then, I haven't been living in the real world. I've been nowhere but hotels and on location, either promoting movies or acting in them."

Indeed, the blond Aussie has gone from film to film since coming to America to co-star in 10 Things I Hate About You two years ago. There he caught the attention of the film's targeted teens. Adult viewers then noticed him as Mel Gibson's impetuous son in The Patriot.

Knight's Tale director Brian Helegeland likens the 6-foot-4, tousled heartthrob to Hollywood's original devil-may-care Tasmanian, Errol Flynn.

Ledger was born in Perth to fans of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. They named their boy Heathcliff, after the great romantic character played on film by Laurence Olivier.

How did he escape the schoolyard teasing that would almost certainly accompany "Heathcliff"?

Ledger says, "I was always just `Heath.' It's impossible to make a nickname out of `Heath.' "

Ledger was president of his school's drama club and a star on the field hockey team at Perth's Guildford Grammar School. (Check out the offbeat alumni profile on Guildford's home page, www.oldguildfordians.com.au/ledger--profile.htm)

Ledger first acted at 10, in a local production of Peter Pan. After high school, he moved to Sydney to pursue his career and landed a role on the Australian TV series Roar, which made him a Down Under teen idol.

Next he tried America, where he was cast in a gangster thriller, Two Hands, and then in 10 Things I Hate About You. A Knight's Tale, though, is the first film to rest solely on his broad shoulders.

"I'm intimidated that it's my face on the poster, especially since I consider it an ensemble movie. But it's not my money that made the movie," Ledger says. "But I'm not going to take the pressure. I've done my job already."

Ledger wanted to make A Knight's Tale the moment he read it. "The script was fun. It had everything in it -- the action, the drama, the comedy, even the rock and roll. It was all there."

He loves the way the film revels in its anachronistic rock score.

"I think it's smart. How are you going to score the film? If you put Mozart to it, you're still 400 years off. The music breaks down historical barriers. It's a fairy tale -- and it's universal. The music transports you there."

The experienced horseman enjoyed the film's extensive horse play. But when it came time for jousting, Ledger joined the audience.

"They filmed me up to the point of impact. But then the stunt guys would step in and take the hit in the head," Ledger says.

"Insurance-wise, I can't even scratch myself."

There's that itch again.