Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal starrer Brokeback Mountain was a revolutionary movie released in 2005 that portrayed a homosexual relationship between two cowboys. The Ang Lee-directed movie shattered the traditional ideas of masculinity of the American West built by mainstream Hollywood. While the movie was a critical success, it faced its fair share of controversies.
The Oscar controversy surrounding the movie is also noteworthy as allegations surfaced that the movie was denied a deserving Best Movie Award. The late Heath Ledger also declined the opportunity to be present at the 2007 Oscar ceremony with Jake Gyllenhaal.
Heath Ledger Took His Brokeback Mountain Role Very Seriously
Heath Ledger was deeply committed to the message of the movie, and he rejected any attempts to trivialize the same-sex love depicted in it. Throughout the movie’s promotions and interviews, people would occasionally crack ‘supposedly’ harmless homophobic jokes and The Dark Knight actor was furious about it.
According to Jake Gyllenhaal, who played Ledger’s love interest Jack Twist in the film, the 10 Things I Hate About You actor was sensitive to such comments. The Donnie Darko actor recalled how Ledger reacted strongly against people turning one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the movie – the “I wish I knew how to quit you” moment – into a joke. In an interview with Out magazine, the Nightcrawler actor said:
“He was extraordinarily serious about the political issues surrounding the movie when it came out. A lot of times people would want to have fun and joke about it, and he was vehement about being serious, to the point where he didn’t really want to hear about anything that was being made fun of.”
Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two Wyoming cowboys who fall in love, only to find themselves trapped in a society that promotes ultra-masculine ideals and cruelly punishes homosexuality. The film shed light on the homophobic culture that prevailed in the American West.
Heath Ledger Refused To Attend The 2007 Oscars
Heath Ledger even boycotted the 2007 Oscars, where he was asked to present at the ceremony alongside his Brokeback Mountain co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal. Ledger, who was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the film the year before, did not comply with the Academy as they were planning to include some jokes about the movie.
The Oscar monologues usually involve the host making a bunch of jokes about the movies and engaging in banter with the actors. Gyllenhaal, who was also invited to host, was open to the idea. However, according to Gyllenhaal, the Monster’s Ball actor did not want their precious film to become the subject of these jokes. In an interview with Another Man Magazine, the Prisoners actor explained:
“I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it. 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.’”
Heath Ledger is largely remembered for his role as Joker in The Dark Knight. But Brokeback Mountain remains one of the most beautiful and dedicated films that the actor was part of. Brokeback Mountain is now available for streaming on Peacock.
Source: Another Man Magazine
