Linda Middleton May 22, 2000

Ed Russell
Linda Middleton
May 22, 2000
Heath Ledger’s performance in The Patriot

At all research screenings conducted, The Patriot played to an outstanding reaction. Every segment of the audience, which included males and females aged 18 to 59, was extremely enthusiastic in their response to the movie. Audience members praised the film for being entertaining and powerful – pointing specifically to the interesting and engaging story, its emotional and dramatic content, the action, the good use of humor, and the strong characters and performances.

Audience members left these screenings feeling strongly connected to the characters in The Patriot. While the scores for all of the performances in the movie were at well-above-average levels, the performances by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger received exceptional scores:

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  The great majority (84%) of the audience rated Gibson’s performance as “excellent” (the norm for a leading performer with high star power is 45%). Virtually everyone (97%) gave his performance a highly positive rating of “excellent” or “very good.” They were extremely moved by Mel’s portrayal of Benjamin Martin and the internal conflicts and emotional traumas that he endures throughout the movie.
  

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  Although he was obviously less well known to many audience members, Heath Ledger’s performance received almost as high of ratings as Mel Gibson’s performance. About three-quarters of the audience rated his performance as “excellent” (versus the norm of 40%) and 93% gave his performance a highly positive rating of “excellent” or “very good.”
  

In describing Heath’s performance as Gabriel Martin, audience members found it to be “powerful,” “moving,” “inspirational,” and “very believable.” The audience strongly identified with the idealism and spirit of Heath’s character. They described Gabriel as “passionate,” “moral,” “stubborn,” “naive,” “proud,” and “very dedicated to the cause of freedom.” After viewing the film, the audience expressed great admiration for Heath’s performance and felt they were seeing a new star in the making.

Additionally, in discussing the movie, audience members at these screenings strongly responded to the father/son relationship in the movie. They described it as realistic and believable, as well as emotional/touching and having good depth. They also commented that the bond between the two was loving, compassionate and well developed. Many were moved by “the chemistry” between the two actors. Some commented that while Benjamin (Mel Gibson) tries to protect and guide his son – Gabriel (Heath Ledger) tries hard to step out of his father’s shadow, but at the same time wants to live up to the reputation and honor of his father.
Finally, among moviegoers with little or no familiarity of Heath Ledger, tests of marketing materials show all audience segments react positively to scenes that highlight Heath’s performance. Within the short clips shown, Heath promises a powerful and compelling performance in the movie. Furthermore, as expected, females are also drawn to his physical appearance, while males are responding strongly to the role/character he plays.