Movie News

Day-Lewis Dedicates Award to Ledger

By BETH HARRIS,
AP
Posted: 2008-01-28 08:38:52
Filed Under: Awards, Movie News
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 27) - Daniel Day-Lewis dedicated his Screen Actors Guild Award to Heath Ledger.

Day-Lewis Honors Ledger at SAGs

Day-Lewis, who was honored Sunday as leading actor for his performance in "There Will Be Blood," gave an acceptance speech that echoed comments he made last week about Ledger, the 28-year-old Australian actor whose death stunned Hollywood, on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

"In 'Brokeback Mountain' he was unique, he was perfect," Day-Lewis said. "That scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything I think I've ever seen."

Backstage, the 50-year-old Day-Lewis said he never met Ledger but the actor's death was all he had been thinking about recently.

"I thought he was beautiful. I just had a very strong feeling I would have liked him very much as a man," he said. "I admired him very much. I'm absolutely certain he would have done many wonderful things in his life."

Several prescription drugs were found in the apartment where Ledger's body was found Tuesday by his masseuse. The cause of death is awaiting toxicology tests.

During the awards show religious protesters gathered across the street from the Shrine Auditorium, toting signs that read, "Heath's in Hell," a reference to his "Brokeback Mountain" role in which he portrayed a gay cowboy.

"We should leave him alone and we should leave his family alone to suffer their unimaginable grief in private, and it's not going to happen," Day-Lewis said backstage. "We should just stop encouraging people to have greater and greater interest in raking over every detail, which is none of our business anyhow."

Ledger's photo from his Oscar-nominated role in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain" closed the SAG award show's in-memoriam segment.

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2008-01-27 23:15:01
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24 comments

Bandstand346 01:35:00 PM Jan 28 2008

I watched B.B. every day for three months, sometimes twice a day. I cried at the end of it every time. He made you feel his pain. I am a christians and I am and always be one of his greatest fans. I am also a great-grand mother. Such a loss.

pruthv 12:08:50 PM Jan 28 2008

I love Kevin Kline. He is a great actor with a good deal of class. Good looking too!

pruthv 12:07:02 PM Jan 28 2008

Really enjoyed the tribute to Charles Durning. Great to see him as a dancer. He looked pretty frail at the awards show. ...a nice guy and great character actor.

pruthv 12:04:06 PM Jan 28 2008

The statuette doesn't look like it is of a "neutral gender."

pruthv 12:02:08 PM Jan 28 2008

The "Actor" statuette appears to have a little nob on it's unisex figure.

yesreebob 10:03:49 AM Jan 28 2008

A ROOM FILLED WITH LIBERAL SHALLOW LOSERS, WHO IF THEY HAD AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT IT WOULD DIE OF LONENESS.

photobycarrie 09:41:49 AM Jan 28 2008

Exactly. It did not specify religious affiliation. However, it has been assigned 'Christian' by Jesusisdemocrat.

halfeye 08:57:22 AM Jan 28 2008

.

photobycarrie 08:47:35 AM Jan 28 2008

The person carrying that sign was not a Christian. No matter what they call themselves. A true Christian makes every attempt to mirror Christ's love for man and would never have placed themselves in that position - as surely as Christ Himself would not have.

mindbogglr 08:12:51 AM Jan 28 2008

jesusisdemocrat 07:10:07 AM Jan 28 2008

Report This! Wish I had been there. I would have taken that sign right out of that protesters hand and beat the LIVING SHIT out of her with it. I hope Ledger's family didn't see it. And these types call themselves "Christians"??????? If that is an example of Christianity, count me OUT.
===============
How very "christian " of you. It seems to me, by your post, that it is YOU that has conflicts with your, self-professed religion. Jesus was all about tolerance and love...not "beating the living shit" out of your fellow man, just becase you disagree with thier actions.

fivewllms 07:20:00 AM Jan 28 2008

I don't remember the article saying "Christian"", it said religious.

jesusisdemocrat 07:13:07 AM Jan 28 2008

Hmmm....I thought Christian's "forgive". I guess the protester is a new type of Christian. The "faux" type.

jesusisdemocrat 07:10:07 AM Jan 28 2008

Wish I had been there. I would have taken that sign right out of that protesters hand and beat the LIVING SHIT out of her with it. I hope Ledger's family didn't see it. And these types call themselves "Christians"??????? If that is an example of Christianity, count me OUT.

lionessi666 06:44:01 AM Jan 28 2008

So what he played a gay cowboy! People play killers all the time so they must be killers? The acting won him a reward not the being gay in the movie. Ignorant terda

brazenlee 06:40:00 AM Jan 28 2008

It was indeed kind and gracious of Daniel Day Lewis to dedicate his SAG award for Best Actor to Heath Ledger. The fact that Mr. Lewis never had the opportunity to meet Heath in person makes this gesture even more poignant and even more of a classy move. Given that Daniel Day Lewis is an A-List actor in his own right, for him to acknowledge Heath Ledger in this way certainly raises the bar for how all actors should behave. And shame on those members of the "religious right" for having the audacity to demonstrate across the street from the awards ceremony regarding Heath Ledger's role in "Brokeback Mountain"!!!! It was a gutsy, courageous, poignant, and fantastic part and Heath played it beautifully. It's what made him a great actor despite his young age. Heath is definitely NOT in hell for playing this role, nor should anyone believe that any actor would go to hell for playing a role in a movie or television show! That's why it's called ACTING!!!!! It's pretend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RIP, Heat

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