A startling and horrible piece of news broke this evening, when Heath Ledger's body was discovered in a New York apartment. He was 28 years old.
Ledger was an actor who seemed to have the world at his feet, earning a richly deserved Oscar nomination for his performance in Brokeback Mountain, and excelling in a wide variety of roles, from Monster's Ball and A Knight's Tale, to Candy and I'm Not There. Later this year, he will be appearing as The Joker in The Dark Night, Christopher Nolan's sequel to Batman Begins, and the notion of this intense and skilful young performer taking on such an iconic role was a tantalising prospect which will now be very difficult to watch. One got the sense that the best of Heath Ledger was yet to come, and the realisation that his potential will never be fulfilled is a very sad thought indeed.
