I heard the news when I got home from school. Does anyone think it was suicide?

Does anyone think it was suicide?

I don't. I am sketchy on things like this. Ledger doesn't look like the type who would just drop dead cuz life sucks.

-Omi

A guy on the elevator was saying that playing the Joker really messed with his mind. Don't know how reliable the word of a stranger on the elevator is, but it wouldn't be that surprising if it were true. The Joker's pretty messed up.

Half the people in my class are superhero geeks. We thought it was a joke when we heard.

A random guy on the elevator? Yeah...that's not a reliable source.

This was a sad thing to hear. A young actor gone right as his career is hitting it's stride. And let's not focus on finger pointing and instead let this play out behind the scenes (okay, that won't happen...but I wish it would).

I look at this, as someone who is an actor (nonprofessional, but nonetheless), and as someone who would love to pursue a career as an actor, an it's chilling.

There are so many fine lines in the field--the fine line between stress and fun, the fine line between a character and an obsession, the fine line between a director and a drill sergeant, the fine line between life and stage itself. Threatre is art, but also entertainment, and one can't always be a clown but he can't take himself too seriously either. Things can quickly and easily be perverted from good fun to something downright scary--something not fun at all. It's a chaotic field.

All my experiences in the theatre over these years have been perfect, full of wonderful people and excellent people. Even my transitions to other troupes have been perfectly smooth. I've been very lucky. But I also know it's just a matter of time--especially if I attempt a real career in this--before I have an experience that isn't so perfect.

I try not to take myself very seriously (it helps that most of the productions I've been involved in have been comedies). I do this, after all, simply because I love it. But I still get chilled when I hear news of this sort, because I'm sure Mr. Ledger--a fantastic actor--loved acting too.

It initiates a whole host of strange and unsettling thoughts and emotions and I don't even know what I'm feeling from it. But it is sad, very sad, and a terrible shame.

A guy on the elevator was saying that playing the Joker really messed with his mind. Don't know how reliable the word of a stranger on the elevator is, but it wouldn't be that surprising if it were true. The Joker's pretty messed up.

He is somewhat correct-ish.

Ledger's latest works really stressed him out, and when doing the Joker role, he hasn't been getting much sleep (hence sleeping pills). So that would do something to his mind.

-Omi

He said he had trouble sleeping.

So he slept with sleeping pills and eventually died.

That's my prediction.

~SGT~