Heath Ledger has been one of the best actors in Hollywood and was known for easily opting into his characters. Credited for portraying the best Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, the late actor was widely known for his versatility in his performances. From 10 Things I Hate About You to the 2005 Western romantic drama Brokeback Mountain, the latter is still considered to feature one of his best performances. Based on a 1997 short story of the same name, the movie follows a complex romantic relationship between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist.
It did pretty great at the box office and was highly praised by critics as well. However, there were still a number of people who found the subject matter of the film quite controversial. And the star cast of the film stood by the movie, even when the Academy Awards attempted to present it as a joke in the opening act of the award ceremony.
Heath Ledger Boycotted 2007 Oscars For Brokeback Mountain
The 2005 Western romantic drama Brokeback Mountain was a turning point for queer representation in Hollywood movies. While not everyone felt the same about the movie, it was highly acclaimed by critics. The movie also landed several Oscar nominations and won three Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
Heath Ledger also got a nomination for Best Actor. However, despite being an Oscar nominee, when he was invited for an opening act at the 2007 Academy Awards, he denied the offer. Ledger’s co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal, shared the story during an interview with Another Man Magazine.
He shared that they were asked to do an opening act joking about the 2005 film. While the Prisoners star was ready for it, Ledger denied the offer. “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,” he recalled.
He shared that the Candy star did not want to make any jokes about the movie. It was considered a very bold move by Ledger at the time, as he rejected the offer to perform at the most prestigious Hollywood award. The rejection made it clear that he did not want to turn one of the first mainstream films to platform an LGBTQ+ story into a joke for the Oscars.
Several A-List Stars Rejected Brokeback Mountain
The director of Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee, was reportedly not up for casting Heath Ledger as one of the lead characters. However, despite his denial, the casting director Avy Kaufman, who believed that the Australian actor was perfect for the movie, sent him the script.
He was intrigued with the story and especially with Ennis Del Mar’s character in the movie. However, the director still had his mind set on other actors, who ended up rejecting the movie. Lee reportedly met Mark Wahlberg, who later shared that he was “creeped out” by some of the things in the script.
Matt Damon and Joaquin Phoenix were also in line to star in the movie before Ang Lee took over the project. The screenwriter Diana Ossana also shared that they sent it to Edward Norton [to direct] and Joel Schumacher but did not accept the offer. Ossana claimed that they might have found it too difficult.
Brokeback Mountain is available on Peacock TV.
Source: Another Man Magazine
