Heath Ledger's untimely death has hit those that were close to him hard - but it's been especially tough on his friend and Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gyllenhaal. The 27-year-old actor - who is godfather to Ledger and Michelle Williams' 2-year-old daughter Matilda, has been left devastated by last Tuesday's shocking news.
"Jake is taking this harder than most people," said a source close to the actor.
Nowhere is that more apparent than on the New Mexico set of Gyllenhaal's latest movie, Brothers.
"This has had a strong personal effect on [Jake]," the source adds to American magazine People. The insider adds that Gyllenhaal left the set immediately after learning of Ledger's Jan. 22 death – but he flew back on a commercial flight to shoot an additional scene on Thursday.
"He was there, but he wasn't with us. It was obviously a major trauma," says the insider. "These guys were very close. [Jake] was sitting in the director's chair staring off into space."
Jake - who is dating actress Reese Witherspoon, has been off since shooting that scene, and was photographed Saturday looking subdued with the 'Legally Blonde' actress in Los Angeles. Set sources say director Jim Sheridan is shooting around the grieving actor during his personal leave.
Gyllenhaal's somber mood is a sharp contrast to the happier times on the set of Brothers. During one intense early prison scene, Gyllenhaal jokingly reached into his pocket and took out a picture of his late pal to stick on the prison wall. "Like those prisoners put [loved ones] on the wall, but Jake's was Heath Ledger," one set source recalls. "That was hilarious. It was a nice moment."
The source adds, "When you think back on it now, it's touching."
By Owen Williams, Jan 30 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy
No comments:
Post a Comment