Johnny Depp, alongside 2 other A-list actors, gave up the entirety of his salary from one of his movies in order to help Heath Ledger’s daughter following his death.
Ledger is considered a legend in the world of acting. Though his career was shortlived, he managed to make a lasting impact on the industry with his work.
Born on April 4th in Perth, Australia, Heath Ledger was known for his short career in the world of film.
His journey started In high school. Ledger found himself stuck between having to choose culinary arts or drama. The image of him being stuck in a kitchen baking all day was enough to turn him away from cooking class, so he opted for drama.
And it turns out Ledger had a fire within him, so at the young age of seventeen, he packed all of his stuff and with a friend, travelled all the way down to Sydney, the land of dreams.
With barely a penny in his pocket, he worked hard to secure a spot in the industry and in 1997, he finally got a little one.
His first film, Blackrock was a very cliche, It’s an angsty film about a boy’s struggle to cope with the fact that his best friend r**ed a girl. Ledger’s part in the film was tiny and barely held any significance, but it ignited a hunger for more.
His second notable performance was for a show called Sweat, where he was offered one of two roles, a swimmer or a gay cyclist and being the open person that he was, he wanted to try a character out of his comfort zone.
Because of the “unique” nature of the role compared to the others, he started gaining more and more recognition.
But his breakout role has to be when he starred in the romantic drama Brokeback Mountain.
His role as a gay cowboy took him back to his humble beginnings in Sweat. The movie gave him the opportunity to join forces with another young and upcoming actor we now know as the legend, Jake Gyllenhaal.
Other than the critical accolades he acquired during the promotion of Brokeback Mountain, he also met Michelle Williams on the set and the two of them embarked on a 3-year journey together which resulted in a daughter, Matilda.
But one of his most notable characters has to be the Joker.
It was during the filming of this movie back in 2008, that Ledger allegedly accidentally overdosed on prescription drugs including pain-killers, sleeping pills, and anti-anxiety medication.
Even though his untimely death left a hole in the industry, The Dark Knight was a hit with audiences.
Some even consider him to have given us the greatest portrayal of the psychotic character ever. So much so that the late star was awarded an Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor.
However, the star’s final film was actually The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which was released in 2009 following his death.
Alongside Ledger, the movie starred none other than Depp, as well as other Hollywood legends Jude Law and Colin Farrell. After Ledger’s tragic passing, the trio were crucial to the movie making it to the finish line, but they also united in a way to pay their respects to their late co-star.
Depp, Law and Farrell donated their earnings from their movie to Ledger’s 4-year-old daughter Matilda. Reports from the time suggest there were fears that the child would face financial struggle as Ledger had failed to update his will by the time of his death, per MEAWW.
“The fact that Ledger’s daughter will reap the benefit of the salaries of stars of Depp, Law and Farrell, stars known to command a pretty penny, can only enhance the magical effort that was put together to finish this film amid shocking tragedy,” She Knows wrote at the time.
