Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
He made a name for himself in Hollywood blockbusters such as Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight — but there was one role Heath Ledger was desperate to nab.
Australian comedian and TV icon Magda Szubanski left fans speechless on Monday morning after she revealed in her new memoir the wild way the Perth-raised actor asked to appear on Kath and Kim.
The stunning revelation was leaked in excerpts from the 65-year-old’s new memoir I Can’t Tell You But I Will, which is set to hit bookstores in Australia on Tuesday.
In the book, Szubanski revealed the request came after the viral red-carpet moment from the 2006 Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards, when her on-screen character, Sharon Strzelecki, received a swoon-worthy kiss from Ledger himself.
She shared that Heath had “known nothing of our plan” ahead of the smooch.
“As soon as Sharon saw Heath, overtaken by my own avatar, she went off-script and screamed,” Magda wrote of the 2006 moment.
“Heath jumped out of his skin, composed himself, strode over, grabbed my face in his hands, and planted one right on me — then Sharon fainted.
“These are the ‘actionless’ moments actors live for.”
Szubanski revealed that scoring a snog from the star was far from the best part of the story, with the Brokeback Mountain actor reaching out to Magda the next morning to share a daring suggestion.
“Heath rang me the following morning to tell me our red-carpet improv was the most fun he’d had in ages,” the 65-year-old continued.
“He wanted to float an idea: Could he be a guest on Kath and Kim . . . as Sharon’s stalker? Mic drop!”
Szubanski revealed she had been ecstatic over the suggestion, and the duo immediately began planning how they’d bring the Oscar nominee onto one of Australia’s favourite sitcoms.
The comedy legend had planned to meet with Ledger in London to iron out details of his character, but sadly the meeting never took place as the actor passed away in January 2008.
“Heath and I had a few phone calls about it, and we were scheduled to meet in London when the tragic news came through that he’d died,” she wrote in the memoir.
Heath Ledger was 28 years old when he passed away from an accidental overdose, shocking the world.
He would win his first Oscar for his portrayal as the Joker in The Dark Knight just one month after his untimely death.
Szubanski also spoke on the impact that Heath’s sudden passing left on her life, revealing she had been left with unanswered questions about what future the duo could have had.
“The loss of a superb human like Heath reverberates so deeply and widely it is impossible to express — but it is one of the great ‘what ifs’ of my life,” she wrote.
“What if he hadn’t died, and we could have kept playing? The delight and hilarity that would have brought to us and the world . . . it hurts to think about.”
It’s not the first time Szubanski has spoken about the late WA actor, with the Kath and Kim star making headlines in 2025 after defending their 2006 kiss online.
“Heath responded like a true Sharon fan — he pashed her,” she shared, before calling Ledger ‘beautiful’.
