Heath Ledger Laying Low Post-Split

Heath Ledger, who recently split with longtime girlfriend Michelle Williams, was looking somber at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday.

At a September 4 news conference promoting his new film I’m Not There, an eyewitness tells Usmagazine.com that the actor was very quiet while fielding questions from reporters.

"He kept his head down a lot and I think he was hoping not to be asked too much," says the onlooker. "He had his hat tipped a little low and didn't really make eye contact with anyone. You could tell that he didn't want to be there.”

Ledger, 28, plays Bob Dylan in the biopic, but shares his duties with such stars as Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, and Richard Gere, who also take a turn portraying the iconic singer.

The press, which was only allowed to ask questions about the movie, didn’t question the actor about his breakup with Williams, 26, with whom he has a 23 month-old daughter, Matilda.

But according to our witness, the expression on Ledger’s face said enough.

"Heath clearly had a lot going on in his head. Sometimes he was just starring off to the side, clearly in his own world,” says the source.

Williams and Ledger met on the set of Brokeback Mountain in 2004.