Heath Ledger became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood before his untimely tragic death.
Along with that rise to fame came a handful of celebrity relationships.
Like with his baby mama, Michelle Williams, some were highly publicized, and some, like
that of Heath and Naomi Watts, got lost in the Hollywood time-space continuum.
Today, we’re looking into the beautiful and doomed romance of Nicole Kidman’s best
friend and the late brilliant actor.
Although Heath Ledger’s lifespan was really short, his accomplishments, even during this
brief period, will be remembered for a long time.
Ledger went on to prove his acting prowess through films like The Brothers Grimm, Brokeback
Mountain, and who can forget Patrick singing to Kat in 10 Things I Hate About You?
However, his portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight made him a household
name across the globe.
Many critics and audiences alike compared Ledger’s performance with the works of Marlon
Brando and Al Pacino, and even hailed him as one of the greatest actors of all time.
Naomi Watts is a British-born actor who started off as a model.
However, her modeling career never really took off, so she decided to venture into Australian
soaps before auditioning for movie roles.
Her ability to impose herself on roles and situations is the reason why she is regarded
as one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood.
Watts is praised for outstanding performances in films like Mulholland Drive, The Ring,
21 Grams, The Impossible and many more.
Naomi and Heath were thrown together in the spring of 2002 on the set of action adventure
film Ned Kelly.
Years later, Watts said that she hadn’t been that familiar with Ledger’s work at
the time but was immediately captivated by his intensity.
“It was just something deep in his eyes.
You could look into them, and they would tell a thousand stories in one glance.
There was a wonderful mixture of power and fragility at work in everything he did, which
just pulls you in.
His strength didn’t scare you.
It intrigued you.
And his fragility touched you,” she explained.
Watts and Ledger soon became each other’s faithful plus-ones, attending film premieres,
award shows, and industry events together like it was their passion.
They briefly broke things off in October 2003, a decision Heath’s publicist (and sister)
Kate Ledger attributed to the pace of their respective careers.
“At this time in their lives, both are busy pursuing careers which are taking them in
different directions.
They remain close friends,” she said in a statement.
However, the couple reunited before the end of the year and later attended the 2004 Oscars
and SAG Awards together.
In January, the pair were house-hunting in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, with a rumored
$5 million budget.
Sadly, they returned to Los Angeles before securing a piece of property.
By mid-2004, Ledger had left for Canada to shoot Brokeback Mountain, and he and Watts
had gone their separate ways.
Watts’ publicist Emma Cooper confirmed the couple had split.
Reportedly, it had something to do with his and Watts’s 10-year age gap.
Watts, then 35 to Ledger’s 25, allegedly wanted to start a family, but Ledger wasn’t
there yet.
Watts had dismissed their age gap in the past, saying, “Love is love.
You fall for the person, not the age.
Not a number.”
But, apparently, it made a difference in the end.
In a rare interview concerning the split from Heath, Naomi described it as somewhat inevitable.
“I think deep down we both knew there wasn’t a forever plan,” she said.
Aww, how sad…
Heath, a true gentleman, declined to discuss the end of their relationship publicly.
Ironically, he and Brokeback Mountain co-star Michelle Williams welcomed a baby daughter
little more than a year later.
They went their separate ways as a couple in September 2007, just a few months before
his accidental death the following January.
The notoriously private Williams opened up about raising Matilda without her father in
November 2016.
“In all honesty, for pretty much everything else, I feel like I’m a believer in not
fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you’ve been,” Michelle said.
“I would be able to go totally down that line of thinking were it not for Matilda not
having her dad.
You know, that’s just something that doesn’t…
I mean, it just won’t ever be right.”
Naomi, like no other, understands the situation.
Her father, Peter Watts, who worked as a sound engineer and road manager for Pink Floyd,
died of an overdose when she was just eight years old.
“Not knowing my father always made me feel like a piece of myself was missing or unknown.
Not reachable,” the actor once told More magazine.
“And growing up, there was this wondering what he would think of me or what I would
think of him.”
While Matilda, now 16, does have to face growing up without her father, she’s definitely
loved.
And Watts of all people should know that things can turn out just fine, despite unfortunate
beginnings.
After all, her life sounds pretty great.
“I have everything I need,” she told the magazine.
“I just want to keep everyone healthy and happy — and world peace.”
Though the two stars dated for just a few years, Naomi has made no secret of how much
Heath meant to her.
They had a beautiful relationship that only lasted a couple of years, quote, “but he
was a man who was completely full of joy, and there was a lot of laughing and affection,”
she said.
Since his unexpected passing in 2008, Watts has been wonderful in her praise of Ledger.
In a new documentary about the star’s life and untimely death, she choked back emotion
as she reflected: “That was a very sad day.”
2017’s I Am Heath Ledger also features interviews with Heath’s family and friends, in addition
to hours of home video shot by the actor himself.
Although she was no longer dating the actor at the time of his death, Naomi is visibly
emotional in the preview clip and has previously confessed she has nothing but fond memories
of her time with Heath.
“He was really a very special soul and made a great impact on my life.
And a great actor, but I know there was so much more to come,” she said.
She’s posted tributes to her late beloved ex several times through the years, calling
him a “beautiful soul” and wishing the “darling heart” a happy birthday.
In January 2018, she left a heartfelt message and a black and white picture of the actor.
“Thinking about this beautiful soul today,” she captioned the image.
“10 years ago, he left this world.
He was a true original.
Heart always on his sleeve, with the most powerful charisma, strength, humor and talent.
I will never forget his gentle spirit.”
Naomi also took time to remember Heath on what would have been his 39th birthday.
Watts shared a picture of the two holding hands, accompanied by a sweet caption.
“Happy birthday to this darling heart,” she wrote.
“We will never forget you... #heathledger #rip.”
Surely, Watts isn’t the only celebrity to pay tribute to the late actor over the years.
Heather Graham, who dated Heath before Naomi, reflected on their relationship nearly 20
years after they split.
“Going through my photos, I found these,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing the shot from
the From Hell set as well as two others.
“Just remembering this time,” she continued, noting of her ex, “Heath Ledger was such
a special person.”
Actor and model Lily Cole, who co-starred with him in his last film, The Imaginarium
of Doctor Parnassus, also wrote a post in memory of Ledger on her Instagram.
She mentioned how funny, kind, free-minded, and generous Heath was and how lucky she feels
to have known him and to have joined the list of so many who miss him.
“I can’t believe it’s 10 years since the world lost this most beautiful spirit,”
she wrote.
Kate, Ledger’s sister, also spoke about her brother’s passing, acknowledging how
important Heath is in her children’s lives.
There’s not a day that goes by that they don’t share stories or talk about him.
“He is very much alive in our house,” she said.
Heath’s father, Kim Ledger, insists that he and his family still feel the late star’s
presence.
“He gave us a lot of love as an individual, he was an amazing young guy.
He loved his family and his friends, and we loved him right back.
We still feel like he’s around us every single day,” Kim said.
Since his son’s passing, Kim has also called for tighter monitoring of prescription medications
to prevent similar tragedies.
He previously said: “The addiction to prescription drugs is a massive problem.
I think from a government point of view, it would be great to see real-time monitoring
systems in each country.”
About a year after splitting from Ledger, Watts took up with actor Liev Schreiber.
The couple welcomed son Sasha in 2007, and a second baby boy, Samuel, the following year.
After spending 11 years together, the pair amicably split.
They continue to co-parent their two beautiful children.
The Mulholland Drive actor has been linked to Billy Crudup since 2017.
They’ve been quietly dating after meeting on the set of their Netflix series, Gypsy.
That’s all we have for you today, Juicers!
Which forgotten celebrity couple do you want us to talk about next?
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