Not to put your morals and integrity in jeopardy, but many people have lied about themselves or at the very least stretched the truth when it comes to our resumes. And it seems that we are not the only ones who do this; famous people also exaggerate their relevant skills. For instance, Anne Hathaway once slightly lied about her skills in order to land one of her most notable roles—in Ang Lee’s 2005 neo-Western romantic drama film, Brokeback Mountain.
The movie, which also starred Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michelle Williams, was an adaptation of Annie Proulx’s short story of the same name from 1997. With its ground-breaking depiction of love between two cowboys, the 2005 film quickly established itself as a timeless classic.
Exploring Anne Hathaway’s Brokeback Mountain Audition
Brokeback Mountain‘s captivating performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal left a lasting impression on viewers all over the world. What if, however, Anne Hathaway, who is best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Les Misérables, had not initially been sincere about her qualifications during her audition? During her audition for the role of Lureen Newsome Twist, the wife of Gyllenhaal’s character, Hathaway allegedly exaggerated her equestrian abilities.
As part of a ten-year retrospective on the groundbreaking film, Out spoke with the Oscar-winning actress in 2015, where she recalled a pivotal moment in the audition process, saying:
“When I left the audition, the last thing Ang said was, ‘Oh, by the way, can you ride a horse?’ My parents have given me a lot of gifts in my life, and one of them is: If you’re ever asked if you can do anything, say yes. You can learn anything in two weeks if you’re motivated enough. So I’d never been on a horse, and I replied, ‘Oh yeah, I’m a really good rider.’ So I knew I had to learn to ride, and I got really, really, really good.”
Moreover, she embarrassed herself in front of several cast and crew members during the rehearsal, as she further added (via Out):
“I was given a horse on set without being told it was a verbal command horse, so I couldn’t figure out how to make it ride. And I went to a rehearsal in front of 300 extras, all of whom work in rodeos, and the horse wouldn’t do a damn thing I wanted it to. And at the end it threw me-in front of everyone.”
She Auditioned For Brokeback Mountain in Her Princess Diaries 2 Character
Movies like Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain gave Anne Hathaway the challenging roles she was looking for. Ironically, the 68-year-old Taiwanese director once recalled how the actress secured the role while she was shooting The Princess Diaries 2.
As Lee revealed in an interview with Variety, she attended the Brokeback Mountain audition while still wearing her The Princess Diaries 2 costume:
“With Anne Hathaway, I didn’t really know her work. On the Universal lot for auditions, the casting director told me the next actress coming in to read was going to apologize for her clothes and makeup but to just let her do that and go into the reading. Then Anne came in, wearing heavy makeup and dressed as a princess, because she was shooting a parade scene for The Princess Diaries 2 on the Universal lot. She used her lunch hour to audition for the part.”
But even after the success she enjoyed with The Princess Diaries and other projects, Hathaway “lost” interest in her profession. And Brokeback Mountain could not have come at a better time for the 40-year-old actress. (via The Scotsman):
“I had just about given up on myself as an actress when it came along. I just didn’t think I was any good, and felt lost. I didn’t know how to communicate with people. And then to be cast as a character who had nothing to do with who I was, and do it in the company of people like Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams and not stick out like a sore thumb, was huge.”
Aside from three Oscar victories, the movie—scripted by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana—gained seven nominations and four wins at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards.
Brokeback Mountain is streaming on Starz Apple TV Channel.
Source: Out; Variety;The Scotsman
