Terribly heartbreaking news about Heath, wasn’t it? I liked what Emerson wrote: “Not only did he bring iconic life and nuance to the existential loneliness of Ennis Del Mar, a taciturn but complex (and conflicted) character, but for such mature work to spring from the teen-idol star of 10 Things I Hate About You and A Knight's Tale was... well, revelatory itself -- the astonishing revelation of a suddenly, fully developed actor who, in the superficial juvenile parts he'd played previously, had given little indication he was capable of such impressive depth and clarity. Ledger emerged as if from a cocoon, gleaming with promise and flexing his wings.” (Same could be said of many writers we know.)His friends said, “We saw it coming.” The Daily Mail, which isn’t exactly a bastion of integrity, wrote, “Heath was shattered by his split from Michelle… He became a recluse. He barely slept he was dealing with terrible mood swings.” Sometimes the best of actors and, indeed, the best of writers can also be the most troubled people you’ll ever know. And I’ve known quite a few. On one level, writing and acting is a reflection of the artists involved, and on another level, the writing and acting doesn’t even remotely reflect them in any real, honest way. You just never know. What happens in front of the camera and what you see in the media is hardly ever a reflection of reality.
I’m more knowledged about troubled writers than I am actors. We know that the poets, Robert Lowell, Delmore Schwartz, Randall Jarrell and Theodore Roethke were all diagnosed as manic-depressive. John Berryman, Sylvia Plath, and Anne Sexton committed suicide. Sylvia Plath, in particular, breaks my heart to this day. Of the famous writers, Philip K. Dick comes to mind, of course. Anne Rice suffered from severe depression due to a long-term illness and the death of her husband. And there’s Hemingway and Fitzgerald, naturally. In a letter to Fitzgerald, Hemingway wrote, “Forget your personal tragedy. We are all bitched from the start and you especially have to hurt like hell before you can write seriously.” Do you really have to be in pain to write well? I don’t know. There’s an interesting article here about creativity and the troubled mind. Personally, I think we have to at least keep in check the usual elements that can lead to or worsen an already existing depression - isolation, introspection, lack of physical exercise, irregular hours, less than perfect diet, and lack of exposure to sunlight (sounds strange but it’s true). For me, I have problems with being overly-obsessed about writing and the craft and research on any project I may be working on. The research on my last script nearly killed me, although it wasn't on the scale of Kubrick and Napoleon, but I know I could go that far if I’m not careful. How about you?
Heath’s death can still be a force of good to many other artists who need a wake-up call and that includes writers. I had a friend tell me recently, “I’m glad you’re doing this project because I’ve been down lately.” I told him, “I started this because I've been down a bit, too. And if there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m always here for you.” That’s what we have to do, isn’t it? As a screenwriting community? We’re not competitors. We’re fellow-travelers, people of like-minded faiths, and we have to watch each other's backs, right?
-MM
