Stephen Gaghan has revealed heartbreaking new details about the tragic death of Heath Ledger for the first time.
The 58-year-old Hollywood director has spoken about a devastating phone call Heath's father Kim received following the Australian actor's death on January 22, 2008.
Heath tragically died aged 28 from an accidental drug overdose in his New York apartment, and 16 years later Stephen has now told how he found out the news.
He spoke on Malcolm Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History: Development Hell – which examines projects that didn't make it to the screen – about a film Blink wanted to make with Heath.
On the podcast, he explained how Heath was found with a copy of the Blink script next to him, while one of Malcolm Gladwell's books was also on his bedside table.
Stephen Gaghan has revealed for the first time heartbreaking new details about the tragic death of Heath Ledger (Heath is pictured in December 2005)
The screenwriter recounted how Heath's father Kim, whom he had never met, saw his phone number in the script and called him after arriving at the scene in a moment of shock and grief.
Speaking for the first time about the call, he recalled: “The father and the man closest to him in his professional life, they were there with the body and our script was in bed with him, and [Gladwell’s] The book was on the bedside table.
“I think my number was in the script, as written. As you can imagine, these guys are in shock and they dialed that number and I don’t know why.”
He scathingly said he “broke down” when he heard the heartbreaking news over the phone while he was at an airport with his wife Minnie Mortimer.
“I'm at the airport with my wife, just driving from one place to another, and I literally collapse, which has never happened to me before or since,” he said.
The 58-year-old Hollywood director (pictured in 2020) has spoken about a devastating phone call he received from Heath's father Kim following the Australian actor's death on January 22, 2008
“My feet slipped out from under me.” I literally sat down because I was like, “What?”
“The emotion, what they went through, I shouldn't have participated in any way, and yet as a human being or as someone who just cares, I was just there and listening and my wife was looking at me.” .
“I remember her face and I was just speechless. “I just listened and listened and listened. It was just really, really sad. And it's still sad. For me, I just had to put a pin in it.'
Stephen also reflected on his “very special” bond with Heath and how he had planned to do “a bunch of movies” with the Joker star before his tragic death.
“I met Heath Ledger and immediately became very, very close to him. “I had a real connection with him that was unusual and very special to me,” he shared.
Heath tragically died at the age of 28 from an accidental drug overdose in his New York apartment and was found with the script for Stephen's film Blink next to him
“I felt like I loved this guy and wanted to do a lot of movies with him – and then I did it.” [the] Call.'
Stephen shared that after years of development, he decided to put a stop to his plans for the Blink film following the news of Heath's death.
He explained that he had previously considered Leonardo DiCaprio for the lead role, but after meeting Heath, he couldn't see anyone other than him playing the character.
Stephen is best known for his work on the 2020 films Dolittle, 2016 Gold and 2005 Syriana, as well as writing the screenplay for Steven Soderbergh's film Traffic.