Stephen Gaghan reveals new details about Heath Ledger's death

Director Stephen Gaghan recently shared new insights into the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger on Malcolm Gladwell's 'Development Hell' podcast.

Gaghan revealed that Ledger had a script for his film 'Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking' with him when he passed away. Ledger's father called Gaghan to inform him of the news.

"They were there with the body, and our script was on the bed with him, and his book was on the bedside table. I think my number was in the script, kind of written down. These guys, as you can imagine, are in shock and they dialed that number, and I don't know why," Gaghan recounted.

Gaghan was at the airport with his wife, Minnie Mortimer, when he received the call.

"I literally collapsed, something that had never happened to me before or since. My feet gave out. I literally sat down because I thought, 'What?'," he said.

"I really shouldn't have been part of the emotion, of what was going on, in any way and yet as a human being or as someone who just cares, I just stood there, listened, and my wife looked at me.

"I remember her face, and I was speechless. I just listened and listened and listened. It was very, very sad. And it's still sad. For me, I just had to put a pin in it."

Did Ledger's death stop any potential projects?

Ledger's death also had a profound impact on Gaghan's film project. The entire role was intended for Ledger, and his passing brought the project to a halt.

"I became very, very close to him instantly. I had a real connection with him that was something unusual and really special to me."

Gaghan considered Leonardo DiCaprio for the role, but ultimately decided to drop the film.

"I got very excited and started to see him as the main character. Once I started watching that, I couldn't stop watching it, and obviously in a way it was very delicate. Leo is totally cool. I mean, obviously, he's got a thousand options, but in my opinion, it was a big problem," he concluded.