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Issue 1003
March 11, 2008
Heath Ledger

It's true. In Brokeback Mountain Heath Ledger was intensely realistic playing the deeply closeted man with a troubled soul yearning for love. No doubt he was a fine actor. But, he was not a saint or a real advocate for gay rights. He was simply playing a role. I can't help but remember him on talk shows and print interviews during the promotional tour for the film. He never failed to mention his girlfriend and their expected baby -- "See, I'm really straight." I can't help remembering the big to-do about the kiss between the two actors, what it was like, how they got through it -- basically: "Yuck! But we had to!" We shouldn't confuse good acting with empathy. Incidentally, as a feminist lesbian, all through the film I deeply resented the down low aspect of Del Mar's life and how unfair he was to his wife, having sex with her and producing babies while secretly longing for his boyfriend.

Flossy Powell
Brushton, N.Y.
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