We already missed Heath Ledger. Now we miss him even more.
In a new interview with Another Man, Ledger’s Brokeback Mountain co-star Jake Gyllenhaal recalls Ledger’s protectiveness over their work in the film, a love story between two ranch hands. In short, Ledger wouldn’t allow any jokes about the movie.
“I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it,” Gyllenhaal recalls. “And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, ‘Oh, okay… whatever.’ I’m always like: it’s all in good fun. And Heath said, ‘It’s not a joke to me – I don’t want to make any jokes about it.”
Gyllenhaal’s recollection echoes Ledger’s sentiments he shared while doing press for the film. Ledger didn’t mince words with reporters who wanted to make homophobic jokes or poke fun at the film.
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Heath Ledger's response to calling the relationship in "Brokeback Mountain" disgusting pic.twitter.com/CF71NGDvmD
— Izzie (@Izzie177) January 17, 2018
“I think it’s a real shame – I think it’s immature, for one,” Ledger said of the jokes surrounding the film. “I think it’s an incredible shame that people go out of their way to voice their disgust or their negative opinions about the ways in which two people love each other. At least share your opinions about how two people hate and show violence and anger toward one another. Isn’t that more important? I think so.”
“The pure fact of it is that it transcends a label. It’s human. It’s about two human beings, two souls in love. Get over the fact that it’s two men. That’s the point.”
Ledger concluded, “We’re showing that love between two men is just as infectious and emotional and strong and pure as heterosexual love. If you can’t understand that, just don’t go see the movie.”
Brokeback Mountain received immense critical acclaim upon its release, landing eight Academy Award nominations, including nods for Ledger and Gyllenhaal. The film would ultimately win three: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Score. For Ledger and Gyllenhaal, the film marked the end of their teen idol days and reestablished both men as serious actors. Ledger died of an overdose in 2008, and would ultimately win a posthumous Academy Award a year later for The Dark Knight.
dhmonarch89
THAT was the whole reason the film lost Best Picture- in the weeks leading up to the awards, every late show had a dozen Brokeback jokes- DJs across the country were doing jokes….it was nauseating!
taniajroland
Lisa ??Looking for hook up with a stranger! ?? Ready for any experiments… 2.gp/a71sG
AxelDC
Hollywood homophobia on full display.
ciasteczek
Oh, yeah sure… Cause we as a community are so fragile that we cant handle gay joke…
Josh447
Actually the movie lost best picture due to Hollywood homophobia within the industry. It was the obvious win by far, and got side swiped by the boring forgettable B movie Crash. It was a severe slap in the face to everyone who knows high quality film making at its best.
My2CentsWorth
I agree. Did not see the picture that received the awards but I did see Brokeback Mountain and I consider it to have been a very moving and significant movie.
The Oscar should represent importance in movies. Many decades ago I decided that the Oscar thing could be a fraud because the movie that receives the awards may do so for reasons that should not be a factor.
“The Color Purple” was much more important than “Out of Africa”. That outcome turned me off on the Oscar event.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Ledger was quite incorrect…..
The first mainstream wide release Gay themed movie with two legit stars WAS actually a huge joke!
Was one of the biggest cinematic turds ever ..
Granted it was a different time and the closet was a place where majority of Gays lived their lives.
Instead of giving a positive look at a Gay relationship, we saw two miserable closeted guys. Lee could have created a happy ending, showing despite the times there actually were happy Gays in a loving relationship who did live happily ever after….I went to the theater with a group of straight friends hoping they would see an uplifting happy ending movie about a Gay couple. No such luck…
In the end one ends up dead, the other miserable….
Josh447
Just curious. How did your straight friends react to it?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Josh447: The women expressed sympathy on how sad it was, and hopped it wasn’t like that for all of us. The guys really didn’t comment much. Except the biggest closet case said how “uncomfortable that Gay shiit” was in the tent….
Josh447
That’s funny, probably reminded him of his first time. Pretty typical responses from the others. Much the same here.
Paul Morton
I didn’t like the movie that much. The sex was bloodless. Gyllenhaal and Ledger didn’t have much chemistry. There’s a story that they would rehearse their kisses on set and were prodded again and again that they weren’t that into it. I never thought it was much of a milestone for gay cinema, but then again my tastes have always been for the weird, the uncomfortable, the truly queer (Derek Jarman, Fassbinder, Pasolini, etc…). Also, I saw it on a date that didn’t go well at all.
There was a weird combination of begrudging tolerance and casual homophobia during those years. Kimmel, Leno, Letterman, and the rest never had a moment of contrition for some of the truly vile garbage they spewed throughout their careers. An honest apology from them now would be meaningful.
Hussain-TheCanadian
We lost him so early, he was such a talent, still in his prime when he passed on, a beautiful human being. The response he gave above was amazing, even the journalist asking felt uncomfortable asking the question, the wheel of change was already in motion.
My2CentsWorth
I wonder what Trump and his team will do in the way of taking away the rights of LBGTQ people. And, also immigrants for what he called “S. H.” countries and others. The world is almost midway of a horrible 8 years.
Rock-N-RollHS
Loved the film. Loved Heath.
AxelDC
We lost a treasure when we lost Heath Ledger. He was not only handsome, but talented and thoughtful. What a shame to only have him for 28 years.