Heath Ledger Played An Irish Prince In A Forgotten Fantasy Series
Just two years before 10 Things I Hate About You made him a star, Heath Ledger took his first and only starring role in an American television series.
In 1999, actor Heath Ledger starred in a short-lived American television series called "Roar," a forgotten fantasy series set in Ireland around 400 A.D. This was Ledger's first and only starring role in a television series. The series followed Conor, an Irish prince, who was determined to unite the Celtic tribes and drive out the invading Roman army from his homeland. "Roar" also starred Vera Farmiga, John Saint Ryan, and Sebastian Roché.
Conor, played by Ledger, was a tragic hero whose family and girlfriend were killed by a king named King Gar. Initially, his mission was revenge, but a pivotal moment altered his path when he heard the "roar," an elemental force tied to Celtic spirituality. According to Ledger, when Conor heard this roar, he was supposed to forget his need for selfish revenge and lead the group of people.
To prepare for the role, Ledger studied Celtic law and druidism. He found the character to be a hero but not one who got everything right. Ledger expressed hope that the show's themes would resonate with audiences, hoping they would find their inner strength, much like Conor did. Despite Ledger's dedication and optimism, "Roar" received poor reviews, scoring 45% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics dismissed it as an uninspired knockoff of popular fantasy series. The series aired only eight episodes before being canceled by Fox. The remaining five episodes were available on DVD but are currently unavailable on major streaming services. However, fan-uploaded episodes can be found on YouTube or the out-of-print complete series DVD set on eBay, praised by writer-producer Lawrence Meyers for Ledger's radiant talent.
Written by urgent.news from TVLine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
