ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: It seems incomprehensible.CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER:Were all a bit befuddled at the moment.
Heath did have a terrible, lingering bug in London, and he couldnt sleep at all.
We all I thought hed probably got walking pneumonia, which they seem to think he had.
Credit: Peter Carrette Archive/Getty Images; Vera Anderson/WireImage
Of course I dont really know, but thats the latest.
Where had you been working?In and around London.
Lots of sinister-looking, horrible locations.
Places like Battersea Power Station, where the interiors all open, with huge hanging girders.
The light comes in and creates this sort of vast, horrible Valpurgis Night.
Its a very sinister building, and its used sometimes for films.
They shot some of [the new]Batmanfilm in there.
Its a designated building, protected, so they cant tear it down.
Its just standing there gaping at everybody.
The last few days we were shooting outside a pub.
You know how damp it gets in London.
And at night the temperature drops horribly, and that little breeze gets up.
You have to wear tons of stuff.
How much is left undone on the film?Oh, theres an enormous amount left to do.
This is why we were going to Vancouver.
All the technical stuff, the green-screen, was to be done in Vancouver.
God knows whats going to happen now.
That seems like a pretty substantial blow to the movie.Of course it is.
The film wasnt half made…. Its just terrifying.
Which famously fell apart early in the filming.And here it is again.
My heart goes out to him because hes worked so hard to get it off the ground.
It just drives you mad thinking about it.
I have no idea, and I cant say, really, whats going to happen to the film.
Were still in total shock over Heaths death.
Its sort of literally unbelievable, because apart from the sleeping, he was in such good form….
There was a sweetness about him.
He was a very charming and gentle guy, actually.
NEXT PAGE: He was in such a good, happy mood about the picture.
He was enjoying the film thoroughly, and Im here to say so.
Did he ever seem or look tired on the set?Oh no.
Not horrendously dangerous stunts, but physically challenging stunts.
Like leaping onto a rising stage from this rather quite high-up spot.
He wants to do everything himself?
Well thats all right hes 28 years old.
[Gentle laugh]….
Anyway, its so sad.
But maybe not with heavy pneumonia on your chest.
He was looking forward he was in such a good, happy mood about the picture.
Looking forward to going to Vancouver.
He was enjoying the film thoroughly, and Im here to say so.
He was also terribly excited about becoming a director.
That too is such a shame.
He thoroughly embraced the profession, and loved it.
He wasnt suffering for his art at all.
He was enjoying it.
Did he talk about wanting to direct?He was very friendly with Terry Gilliam.
They became very good friends onThe Brothers Grimmand consequently bonded.
And [onDoctor Parnassus] they would consult and theyd look and hed watch, and he was fascinated.
They were having such fun on this one.
He was very inventive, Heath, and very versatile, as indeed many Australian actors are.
They have a marvelous ear for accents and for character.
He gave some very good ideas and pointers.
As we all tried to do, but I think he was very serious about directing.
He was so talented in so many areas.
You know, I didnt get to know him very well….
There was no time for that, really.
Which may have contributed somewhat to [the state of] his health.
We were all armed with antibiotics all the time.
It wasnt exactly joyous, except that the film itself was fun to do.
NEXT PAGE: He stuck up for what were the right parts, and thats very commendable.
He didnt succumb to any of those cheap temptations, and throwing himself into a huge variety of roles.
[Laughs] I kept teasing Terry about that all the time.
A lot of it is set down [broadly] and then improvised.
A lot of the happenings are magical, and wonderfully Gilliam-esque and obscure.
Its sort of theFauststory in modern terms.
Its full of visitations into another world, a rather Narnia-like world.
Heath was playing a sort of young mountebank who comes upon the scene.
Its rather difficult to describe the plot.
Its a sort of wonderful yarn of fantasy, sometimes very funny.
Heath [was playing] this young charlatan whos brilliant at fooling people.
How can I describe it?
Hes an interloper, who of course falls for the daughter.
Or the daughter falls for him, I cant quite follow it.
He didnt want to be pigeonholed and stereotyped and turned into a commodity.Thats quite right.
He stuck up for what were the right parts, and thats very commendable.
He didnt succumb to any of those cheap temptations, and throwing himself into a huge variety of roles.
Just his driver and his friend from Ireland who was helping him.
And you were scheduled to regroup in Vancouver next week?Yeah.
I dont dare say what will happen until weve talked with Terry [Gilliam].
Probably nobody will know until the end of this week whats going to happen.
I spoke to Terry yesterday.
Were all in shock, but he particularly, of course…. Its just awful.
Quite shocking, because its so incredible.
I just left a very laughing, happy fellow, practically a few minutes ago.
