Magda Szubanski describes an impromptu moment with Heath Ledger on the red carpet at the 2006 Australian Film Institute awards in her new memoir I Can’t Tell You But I Will. Szubanski, attending in character as Sharon Strzelecki from the Australian sitcom Kath and Kim, says she screamed on seeing Ledger; he responded by kissing her passionately, an action she says was entirely improvised and which led her to pretend to faint.
Writing two decades after the incident, Szubanski says Ledger enjoyed the exchange so much that he rang her the next day to ask whether he could appear on Kath and Kim as Sharon’s stalker. The request, she notes in the memoir, came shortly before Ledger’s death.
The anecdote adds a behind-the-scenes glimpse into two prominent figures of Australian entertainment — Szubanski for her long-running television role and Ledger for his international film career — and highlights Ledger’s reputed fondness for improvisation and playful public interactions. At the time the kiss drew wide attention in Australian media and has remained a memorable moment in coverage of both performers.
Szubanski’s memoir revisits a number of public and private episodes from her career, using the recollection to reflect on the connections between performers and fans and the unpredictability of live events. The account of Ledger’s unsolicited offer to appear on the sitcom underscores how spontaneous encounters at industry events can lead to creative collaborations, even when they do not come to fruition.