Gyllenhaal is still cut up about Ledger’s death from an accidental overdose in January 2008. But during that evening’s career talk at the cultural centre in front of an audience of Gyllenhaalics, the actor volunteers the story of how he and Ledger first met.
“I was auditioning for Moulin Rouge! – Baz Luhrmann had chosen three actors. It was Ewan [McGregor], it was Heath, and me. And we auditioned with many different actresses, it was a long process. But I never met Heath, I only heard about him. We would be shuffled in and out of rooms. They would literally put me in a room and lock the door and Heath would come in and then Heath would be shuffled through the door. I never saw him.
“When Ewan was cast, I finally met Heath and we sort of became friends before Brokeback Mountain based on our mutual frustration. When Brokeback Mountain came out and it got all the attention it did, I remember, a few months later, Heath called me and he was like, [affects Ledger impersonation] ‘Hey mate, I got some news for you’. I said, ‘What?’
He said, ‘Baz just offered me his next movie. I just wanted you to know, I fucking turned it down!’ [Laughs heartily] So that was how much Heath loved me, you know. That was how I met him.”