After a very successful summer starring as Mel Gibson's son in 'The Patriot,' Heath Ledger stopped by AOL Live to chat about his new role as a knight in the film 'A Knight's Tale.' See what this hot young star had to say below!

Host: Welcome to AOL Live!

Heath Ledger: Thank you.

Host: Okay, we're going to start with our first question. If you could tell our audience what your latest movie, 'A Knight's Tale,' is all about.

Heath Ledger: It's basically -- I mean, it's for me, character-wise, it's the story of a young man born in the world, the son of a thatcher. It's his -- his battle against the class system. He wishes to be treated and seen as an equal, or he wants to feel noble about himself, and he's convinced in order to feel this, that he should, you know, reach that position in society. You should reach a position of nobility in society or materialistically. So he takes off, and he decides to do this through jousting, through competing in the jousting circuit.

Heath Ledger: So he forges papers of nobility, because you [have] to be of noble birth to compete, and he starts to joust and compete in the jousting circuit, and he's out to change his status. And I guess the whole story is about that nobility is in one's head and in one's heart, and you're born with it. It's not something you can buy. And thrown in with that is the character's romance and strength -- his love for Jocelyn, the princess, played by Shannyn Sossamon. That's brief. There's many angles I could take in describing this film, but I guess that's just my take.

Host: What attracted you to the role in 'A Knight's Tale'? Were you approached for the role or did you seek it out?

Heath Ledger: I was approached for the role. I was making 'The Patriot' at the time. I read the script and I loved it. You would have to have been a moron not to have loved it. And it was funny, and that also it just presented such a smorgasbord of entertainment, and it had everything. It was funny and romantic, and I was very curious as to how the action was going to play out. And all the emotions were contemporary, and the story is a contemporary story set in a medieval time, and so that was interesting. Yeah.

Host: Speaking of that...we have a question from our members. Two of your films, 'The Patriot' and 'A Knight's Tale,' are both set in the past. Is there any special preparation you do to get ready for a role set in a different era?

Heath Ledger: Yes. For 'A Knight's Tale,' I didn't have to, because it's a contemporary character, once again. Yeah, for the 'The Patriot' or the movie I've done after, 'Four Feathers,' yeah, yeah, I did. I had to at least get an understanding of the time, because you're portraying emotions from the time and having a guess, because we truly have no idea how they did communicate vocally to each other. It wasn't as liberal as it is today. So yeah, I guess you have to have a certain understanding to create a physical and mental posture for your character. Interesting, huh?

Host: Yeah, things you don't necessarily think about when doing a period piece. You're really kind of making it up.

Heath Ledger: Yeah.

Host: Here's a question we've been getting from a few members: How did you get into acting or when did it click in your head that acting was what you wanted to do in your life?

Heath Ledger: It's still clicking. LOL. I'm not sure. I guess it was when I saw my older sister up on the stage acting. She just inspired me to get up there and give it a go. I could see she was having a lot of fun, and I wanted to experience the same. Then I guess it was just the first time I received a check in my hand that I realized it could be a profession.

Host: Pretty powerful incentive?

Heath Ledger: Yeah.

Host: Now, actually, just a curious tidbit, but you and your sister are named after a couple of dramatic characters themselves, aren't they?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. My sister is Catherine after Cathy, and I'm Heath after Heathcliff. Loosely based, of course. I believe we're both Aries. I don't know.

Host: Here's a question coming in from Megan: Hi, Heath, I'm wondering if you are doing any new movies lately besides 'A Knight's Tale'?

Heath Ledger: Hi, Megan. Yeah, I just finished a movie called 'Four Feathers' which will release around Christmastime, I think.

Host: And what's that one about?

Heath Ledger: Oh, my God. Well, it's a long story. Briefly, it's -- there's four best friends, and they're in the military corps in the late 19th century. They're soldiers, and they got [called] up to fight in the Sudan, and my character, on the night they find out this news, hands in his resignation. And his father was a very famous general, Faversham, and everyone looked up to him. And everyone expected this from me, and I'd been living up to it up until this moment. And so everyone turns against me and calls me a coward, and three of my friends and my wife send me a feather of cowardice, and I'm left all by my lonesome. And it's all about how I deal with it, and I can't deal with it, so I take off to the Sudan and disguise myself as an Arab, and I follow my friends in the army and return the feathers one by one, drag them out. It's a major love story. Really it's an epic, epic tale. I can't really begin to go into the, you know, the guts of this.

Host: It sounds very unique.

Heath Ledger: It is. Well, it's been done four times before. But this is Shekhar Kapur, and he has magic up his sleeves.

Host: Here's an interesting question: Has there been any role you've been offered that you now regret turning down?

Heath Ledger: No.

Host: Hello, Heath. I'd just like to know, what is the favorite movie you've starred in so far?

Heath Ledger: I'd say 'A Knight's Tale' would definitely have to be one of them. I definitely had the most fun shooting 'A Knight's Tale,' because it was brilliant people in the cast, amazing people. And they were talented actors. It was just a really fun time and a fun location.

Host: Which accent was hardest to master, English or American?

Heath Ledger: I'd actually have to say English, only because it's -- I mean there's less, you know, differences between English and Australian than Australian and American, so you can really hear the accent coming through when you speak in American, as opposed to the English. It's very subtle, and it's easy to slip out.

Host: That makes sense. Here's one: What kind of role do you want to play in the future? And what actor or actress would you like to work with most?

Heath Ledger: Oh, God. No particular role that I'm dying to play yet. I like to keep my options open. God, there's a ton of actors I want to work with. I'd feel like I'm letting down the other thousands by just naming a couple. It's hard.

Host: One member would like to know what it was like working with Mel Gibson in 'The Patriot.'

Heath Ledger: It was wonderful. He's such a genuinely giving, you know, good-humored man. You know? And I just have nothing but respect for him. It was, you know, it was very enlightening to work with someone in his position in this industry and have him be so genuine, you know. Yeah. And he just really, truly runs around. He dances around in life in fits of laughter. You know? So that's -- it's refreshing.

Host: I've heard he plays practical jokes on the set. Were you the victim of any?

Heath Ledger: No. He didn't pull any pranks, and I think that was ultimately his practical joke, because we were [sitting] around all day, every day, looking, you know, cautious to open our doors, waiting for a bucket of water to fall on our head, and nothing happened.

Host: Waiting for the saran wrap over the toilet seat, like Julia Roberts found?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. And the stuffed rats.

Host: Oh, great! What was auditioning for 'The Patriot' like?

Heath Ledger: Nerve-racking. You know, I hate auditioning. I'm really bad at it. Mainly because you're being tested, as opposed to performing to an audience, so you're just very aware that you're being judged. So what was that like in particular in the -- it was all that somehow they just saw through it and, you know -- or I somehow pulled off somewhat of a performance to get me the role.

Host: I read somewhere that you were waiting for ages to hear about that. That was probably a very competitive role.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, I did. I sat around for like three weeks. It was hard because, you know, life was on hold until I found out the answer to this question. It was really annoying.

Host: How long was the production on that?

Heath Ledger: It was about six months of shooting, you know. The production probably went for a year.

Host: How long did the production take on 'A Knight's Tale'?

Heath Ledger: Like four months.

Host: Was it hard to learn jousting?

Heath Ledger: Well, no. I've been jousting since I was a little kid. I grew up jousting on sheep in Australia. ::laughter:: So it kind of came second nature. Making the transfer from sheep to horse, and of course the bigger lance I was working with. No, luckily they brought in a trainer, a professional jouster from Vegas. I'm for real about the Vegas. And yeah, it was okay. It was quite easy once they like spelled it out for us.

Host: What was it like wearing the armor all day? That's another question we've been getting.

Heath Ledger: Hot and sweaty. Imagine sitting in a tin can all day in the sweltering heat. It was okay. I mean, we didn't complain, because it was fun. It was really just like going to work and walking onto like a big, bright, colorful playground and dressing up and having fun, so there was little, very little to complain about.

Host: Here's kind of a loaded question. Do you have any tips for aspiring actors?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. And that's, I think, just, you know, if they're going to do lessons, if they're going to take classes, to hold onto their instincts and don't let other opinions on getting to a place with your craft cloud your instincts, you know. Stay true to your instincts and just listen to what you have to say and believe it and trust it, and remember that there's just -- there's no facts on how to act. There's no rule book. It's just a world of opinions, and that yours is one of them and it's welcome. Yeah, that.

Host: Good advice. Here's one from Yokasan: How is the American film industry different from the Australian film industry, and which have you enjoyed more?

Heath Ledger: Well, I think, you know, a better comparison would be to make, you know, in explaining it, would be -- basically the Australian film industry is like comparing the independent movie industry in America and studio movie industries, because it's the same thing, ultimately -- what we do in front of the camera, between "action" and "cut," doesn't change. It's money. In Australia, we're working with a film ratio. We're working against time. And -- time and money... Although, you know, a lot of the American independent movies are now clocking in at $100 million apiece anyhow, so they're pretty much studio films.

Host: Here's an interesting Actors Studio-type question: We've been polling AOL members online as to whether they would ever take on the identity of another person, as your character does in 'A Knight's Tale.' Twenty percent said that they would. Would you assume another identity if you could? And what would it be?

Heath Ledger: No, I wouldn't.

Host: You kind of do it all the time as an actor.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, I do. It's imitation, portraying something. But I certainly don't take it home with me.

Host: AECoverGirl26 asks: Out of all the characters you have ever played, which one would you say most describes you?

Heath Ledger: None of them, you know. I think it's, you know, beyond fair to pick any of them, because they all have elements of me, but none of them are true to what I am -- who I am. I keep that very close to heart.

Host: Here's another one, from Akelryo1: Heath, will you ever do a teen movie again, like '10 Things I Hate About You'?

Heath Ledger: I don't think so, at this point.

Host: Looking for the most epic films? Or was there something particular about that film?

Heath Ledger: No, nothing particular about it. I don't want to remake. I had a really fun time making that movie, and they're really great people. I just don't know if I want to take that path.

Host: If you haven't already, are you planning on making the States your permanent home?

Heath Ledger: No.

Host: No US citizenship in your future?

Heath Ledger: No. No.

Host: Crow46 asks: Heath, do you have to go through any physical training for your movies?

Heath Ledger: Yeah. The whole cast, actually, we all competed in a marathon around Prague, the city of Prague. And we came in pretty good. Alan Tudyk came in fifth out of hundreds of people. The rest of us came in past 20. That was a little fitness test. Then we had some excruciating army -- kind of basic fitness, base-camp training. Then we brought in the swordplay to the training, and we did it all in full armor, including marathon. And we were at peak performance by the time we finished, so we were ready to tackle the [parts].

Host: Great. Okay. Here's another kind of loaded question, from Periwinkle261: If you had three wishes, what would they be in life?

Heath Ledger: That I could fly, I guess, because we can't. What would be my other two? Good health for all my family and friends. Oh, and I guess it would have to be, you know, something to do with anti-nuke, I think. I'd like to get out there and destroy any, you know, any nuclear arms, you know, that are able to blow us up 12 times over. So nuclear disarmament, I'd say.

Host: Very noble wishes.

Heath Ledger: The flying one was pretty selfish, wasn't it?

Host: Right. ::laughter:: Well, since you've been jousting since you were a child... Okay. We have a comment from our audience. This is actually a really great medium, the online chats, because it gives them a chance to speak directly to you -- and we've been getting tons and tons of comments. Amb1valence says: I just wanted to add you are you a great inspiration to young actors. You are one of a kind.

Heath Ledger: Oh, thank you.

Host: There's been lots of comments coming in like that.

Heath Ledger: Oh, cool.

Host: Are you engaged?

Heath Ledger: No.

Host: More questions on kind of the difference between 'The Patriot' and 'A Knights Tale.' Was 'The Patriot' filmed in the US?

Heath Ledger: Yeah, it was filmed in South Carolina. 'A Knight's Tale' was filmed in Prague. One was an epic drama, and one was a comedy.

Host: What was the biggest difference in filming overseas?

Heath Ledger: The crew can understand you, I guess. But the process is the same.

Host: Are there any different regulations?

Heath Ledger: I guess there are different ones around. In America, there's a union for every single department. So it's quite segregated, as opposed to other countries around the world, where it's like one unit kind of thing. I don't know if it makes a huge difference.

Host: Puffgreeny3 asks: What is your favorite actor and your favorite movie?

Heath Ledger: Yeah, see, I can't answer that question. I just have too many favorite actors and movies.

Host: It's like your favorite food, you just can't pick.

Heath Ledger: Yeah.

Host: Sorry this does not pertain to your new movie, Juliana121 asks, but I was wondering if you read 'The Taming of the Shrew' before you acted in '10 Things I Hate About You'?

Heath Ledger: Yes, yes, I did. I did a little bit of Shakespeare study in the past.

Host: And the tack-on to that question is, if so, they wanted to know what you thought about the story.

Heath Ledger: I loved the story. That's part of the reason I picked up on that script. And I loved the character, Patrick Verona. Petruchio. I hope you -- Richard Burton inspired me with, who was it? Elizabeth Taylor? I really loved his performance as Petruchio.

Host: Heath, you've done some traveling. Are there any places you haven't been to yet that you want to go?

Heath Ledger: Oh, yeah. God, there's the whole world yet to discover. I really want to get out to India. I want to get to Indonesia, and I'd really like to visit the pyramids in Egypt. Cuba. I really want to get down to South America. There's a ton of places. Really just endless.

Host: One member has asked, since they knew that 'A Knight's Tale' was filmed in Prague, they were wondering if you liked the city and got to see much of it when you were there.

Heath Ledger: Yeah, I loved the city. And yeah, I did, because we were walking around the city every day and night, and we really got a feel of what it was like to live there, and it's wonderful. Really is a beautiful place.

Host: Great! That's our last question.

Heath Ledger: Fantastic.

Host: I thank you very much for joining us. I'm still sorting through so many questions and comments, but overall they're saying keep up the great job, and love your work.

Heath Ledger: Just send lots of love out to them, and tell them to take care and keep dancing.

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