Gay Lessons

Jake Gyllenhaal Reveals What He Learned From Making “Brokeback Mountain”

brokebackJake Gyllenhaal says his experience with Brokeback Mountain taught him something vital. And it has nothing to do with the importance of man-on-man action. (Although he probably learned something about that, too.)

In an interview with The Huffington Post’s Ricky Camilleri, Gyllenhaal not only credited the movie — which he said has “a beautiful story” — with boosting his career (“it was a huge turning point”) but with teaching him about the political significance that a motion picture can have.

“It gave me the idea that movies can be important, that they do have some sort of political value,” he said.

Gyllenhaal, whose role as a ranch hand who engages in a secret gay affair earned an Academy Award nomination, said the film now “lives in its own space. It’s one of those films that’s really no longer mine, it’s sort of everyone’s.”

As for whether or not the actor knew going in that it would have such a huge effect, the actor said, “It just took off. It’s become something beyond what any of us could have imagined.”

Certainly it’s the movie that catapulted Gyllenhaal into the fantasies of gay men everywhere. And how does he feel about the movie now? “It’s an honor to be a part of,” he said.

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