Oftentimes when actors form friendships on set they find it tough to maintain the same level of closeness when filming wraps. This wasn't the case for Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, though, who maintained their close bond until Ledger's death (via Movie TV Tech Geeks). Though Gyllenhaal finds it difficult to discuss their friendship due to the unrelenting grief he feels from Ledger's loss, he did briefly speak on the subject during an interview with NPR in 2015. "I miss him as a human being and I miss working with him and what an unfortunate thing it is that we won't be able to see the beauty of his expression."

Gyllenhaal went on to say in that interview that Ledger's death impacted the way he views life and mortality. "I know, not only can this career end in a very short period of time and this or that can happen, but also that life is precious," he said. "I think losing Heath and being a part of a family that was something like the movie, that movie we all made together, makes you see that, makes you appreciate that and hopefully moves you away from the things that really don't matter to the things that do." It's clear that Gyllenhaal and Ledger were nothing short of true friends.