What You Didn't Know About Matilda Ledger
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Matilda Rose Ledger is the daughter of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, and she gets more and more beautiful with each passing year. Matilda is now 11 years old but she was only 2 when her 28-year-old actor father passed away, so Williams has been raising Matilda as a single mom. She's been primarily keeping her daughter out of the limelight and it's rare that we see the growing girl. Get to know Matilda Ledger with these facts you probably didn't know about her.
She's Ledger's only child
Ledger and Williams fell in love on the set of Brokeback Mountain in 2004 and the following year they welcomed their only child, Matilda. The couple's relationship ultimately ended, despite Brokeback Mountain screenwriter Diana Ossana saying it was "truly love at first sight" for Ledger.
Three months after their breakup, Ledger passed away from an accidental overdose of prescription medication, leaving behind 2-year-old Matilda. Williams then took care of their young daughter as a single mother.
Ledger's death greatly impacted Matilda and her mom
Matilda has obviously suffered after losing her father at such a young age but she's not the only one who's had a hard time dealing with Ledger's death. Williams rarely talks about the loss of her child's father but in late 2016 she opened up to Porter magazine (via ET Online) about being a single parent and why it "won't ever be right" for her or Matilda.
"In all honesty, for pretty much everything else, I feel like I'm a believer in not fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you've been," she told the magazine. "In pretty much all senses but one. I would be able to go totally down that line of thinking were it not for Matilda not having her dad. You know, that's just something that doesn't... I mean, it just won't ever be right."
She looks just like her dad
Every time new photos emerge of Matilda, the resemblance to her late father is uncanny and she seems to look more like him each year. Even Ledger's parents see the striking similarities between their son and their granddaughter.
"She's such a reminder of her Dad," Ledger's mom, Sally, told The Daily Telegraph before his father, Kim, added, "Matilda is exactly like her dad, she looks just like him."
Williams agrees. In fact, she once told Vogue (via Daily Mail), "Every time I really miss him and wonder where he's gone, I just look at her."
She has famous godparents
Although everyone knows Matilda has famous parents, many will be surprised to learn she also has famous godparents. After she was born in October of 2005, Ledger and Williams asked two of their good friends to be the baby's godparents. To this day, the couple's Brokeback Mountain costar, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Williams' good friend, Busy Philipps, assume that role for Matilda.
She's already "a little New Yorker"
Although Matilda is half Australian and half American, her grandparents consider her to be "a little New Yorker." She resides in New York and doesn't get to spend a lot of time down under, but that's for good reason.
"She's not here that much because of Michelle's lifestyle," Ledger's mom told The Daily Telegraph. "And of course with her school it's important to be consistent and not take her out of class."
Her life is pretty private
Williams has made it a point to keep Matilda's life as private, and normal, as possible. That started with taking her daughter to live in the country for six years to help her grieve, following the death of Ledger. Williams then decided to raise Matilda in Brooklyn, to keep her away from the heart of the celebrity world — better known as Hollywood.
"If you feel like people are watching you, it's impossible to have an authentic experience of being alive," she told Elle (via E! News). "There's a performative aspect and a guardedness, and that's just death. I don't know how to live like that, and I don't know how to give a life to my child like that."
Ledger's parents have also taken notice of how well Williams has done as a single parent. "[She is] a beautiful child and as a single mum, Michelle has done a great job. I think she's doing a particularly good job at keeping her out of the limelight," Ledger's father told The Daily Mail.
She's been protected by a picture ban
Williams credits a lot of her daughter's normalcy to a picture ban, that actress Kristen Bell helped create. The ban required media outlets to stop posting unauthorized images of children — and Williams is so grateful for it.
"Kristen Bell waved her magic wand and she got them to see the human side of it, and the market for pictures of these children diminished," Williams told the New York Post. "It has changed our lives. I email [Kristen Bell] once every couple of months and say, 'I owe you everything. My daughter's happiness is in your hands.' Talk about a go-getter!"