Michelle Williams, Naomi Watts, Ellen DeGeneres and several of Heath Ledger’s other close industry friends share fond memories of the late actor in the April issue of Interview magazine. Written as a conversation, the tribute remembers Ledger’s work ethic, his off-screen persona and his love of chess. Below are some excerpts from the article:

• Naomi Watts: “He was a huge, obsessive, chess freak – and very, very good at it.”

• Michelle Williams: “He had uncontrollable energy. He buzzed … His mind was turning, turning, turning – always turning.”

• Ellen DeGeneres: “He didn’t try to be something that he wasn’t. And I appreciated that.”

• Phillip Seymour Hoffman: “Whenever Heath talked about something he liked, he did it in the way that any fan would. He wasn’t somebody trying to cover up his excitement about something, or someone.”

• Todd Haynes: “That performance in Brokeback Mountain was such a sensitive, understated, controlled interpretation of this character. The entire emotional power of that film, which is enormous, resides in that performance, and how much Heath holds in.”

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