A decades-old video of two Aussie icons has resurfaced online, and it seems to have ruffled a few feathers.
Back at the AFI Awards in 2006, comedy legend Magda Szubanski and the late Heath Ledger shared what appeared to viewers to be an impromptu kiss.
The clip shows Ledger being interviewed on the red carpet before he’s interrupted by a scream nearby.
Watch the video above.
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The camera pulls back to show Szubanski, dressed as her Kath & Kim character, Sharon Strzlecki, losing her mind over her proximity to the star.
What happens next has been misconstrued by many for the past 19 years.
Upon seeing Sharon’s fanaticism, Ledger rushes to her and gives her a long, passionate kiss, before she falls to the floor from shock.
Almost 20 years on, the majority of posts online about the encounter simply refer to Szubanski as “a fan”, with no mention of the fact that she too is an Aussie actor and icon.
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Some online commentary jokes about viewers being jealous of Szubanski (otherwise referred to as ‘the fan’) but some comments condemn Ledger for the action he took.
What is often misunderstood by those who view the clip is that the skit was planned, and that the Dark Knight star didn’t simply walk up to a random ‘fan’, grab them and kiss them.
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“Never forget the time Heath Ledger sexually assaulted a fan… unforgettable,” one X user wrote in the comments under the video.
“Woah that’s assault brotha!” Another added.
The backlash against the late actor on the resurfaced clip went so far, that it prompted Szubanski herself to step in.
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Resharing the clip, the actress and comedian set the record straight.
“I don’t know how many times I have to correct the record and tell people it’s not some rando fan!! It’s me, @MagdaSzubanski as my character Sharon Strzelecki from Aussie sitcom Kath and Kim,” she wrote.
“That said, Heath had no idea ‘Sharon’ was gonna scream like that and he responded like a true Sharon fan.
“He pashed her! I’ll describe this incident in detail another time Beautiful #heath
The comment section was flooded with support for the actress, with one person saying that the confusion simply came about due to the her acting abilities.
“It’s a testament to how good a performance you gave as a fan that people believe it,” they wrote.
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