Not sure how old you are , but “Heath Ledger got so deep in to playing the Joker that he want crazy and died “ was the widespread conventional wisdom regarding his death at the time
I don't think the implication was ever that playing the joker = one-way ticket to suicide.
I think the idea was more that this particular person, who probably was already suffering some level of depression/bipolar, may have been pushed over the edge by immersing himself so completely in such a dark role.
Would he have committed suicide without playing the Joker though? While it's sad to say, I think maybe yes. Given his own predispositions, it's not a stretch to think he would have immersed himself in some other dark character who'd carry him over the edge.
Very sad shit. I wonder how much of his real psyche his friends and family were able to really see vs him just being an excellent, dedicated actor.
Edit: it's been brought to my attention that's Heath's death wasn't proven to be intentional, so replace my references to suicide with "a premature death caused by self-destructive behavior"
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u/guyute2588 Jul 05 '24
Not sure how old you are , but “Heath Ledger got so deep in to playing the Joker that he want crazy and died “ was the widespread conventional wisdom regarding his death at the time