For a guy whose only American film credit is the teen romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, Heath Ledger sure is poised to become a big action star. The 21-year-old so impressed Columbia Picture brass with his turn as Mel Gibson's impetuous son in the Revolutionary War drama The Patriot that they offered him the lead role of a master jouster in the medieval adventure A Knight's Tale month's before The Patriot's release. That caught the attention of Paramount Pictures, which asked Ledger to star in the actioner The Four Feathers when Jude Law exited the project in favor of Steven Spielberg's A.I. Soon after, the handsome newcomer was rumored to be a top candidate to fill Peter Parker;s tights in the Spider-Man feature film. Good thing Ledger gets a kick out of flaunting his vim and vigor. "I do enjoy roles where I get to move around a lot," he says, "A Knight's Tale is offering amazing opportunities for action. But I don't seek them out. I do all the stunts they'll let me do. But when they tell me it's too dangerous, I listen." Television fans may remember Ledger from the short-lived Fox sword-and-sorsery drama Roar, which filmed in his native Australia. Growing up Down Under, ledger admits he didn't learn much about the American Revolution in school. "I just knew the bare basics about George Washington and (the idea of) a new land fighting for independence." he says, "All the facts I needed to know were in the screenplay. I read a few books. But my real work was physical, like working with horses and muskets." Nonetheless, his interest in appearing in The Patriot was a no-brainer - especially because his fellow Aussie Gibson was also aboard to offer pointers on how to be an action hero. "Working with Mel was amazing," Ledger says, "I learned from him everday. We just became good mates."

Story by Annabelle Villanueva