Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
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’sThe Dark Knight,the late actor was widely known for his versatility in his performances. From10 Things I Hate About Youto the 2005 Western romantic dramaBrokeback 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.
Read More:“I explained to him what I wanted to do”: Heath Ledger Wanted Nothing To Do With Joker, Rejected Appearing In $373M Christian Bale Movie
Heath Ledger Boycotted 2007 Oscars ForBrokeback Mountain
The 2005 Western romantic dramaBrokeback Mountainwas 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 Ledgeralso 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 thePrisonersstar 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 theCandystar 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.
Read More:“I didn’t quite nail it”: Christian Bale Became Resentful After His Batman Got Sidelined by Heath Ledger’s Oscar-Winning Performance as Joker
Several A-List Stars RejectedBrokeback Mountain
The director ofBrokeback 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 Mountainis available on Peacock TV.
Read More:“I just inherently had no prejudice”: Jake Gyllenhaal Joined Marvel Director’s $178M Movie For A Deeply Personal Reason That Was Rejected By Matt Damon To Save His Stellar Reputation
Source:Another Man Magazine
Laxmi Rajput
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3450
Laxmi Rajput is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, with over 3,300 articles published covering film, TV, and pop culture. With a degree in Broadcast Journalism and over three years of experience in content writing, she pivoted to entertainment journalism because let’s be honest, superheroes, sitcoms, and Netflix binges are way more fun. Laxmi frequently covers Marvel, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and popular TV shows, offering both fan-first enthusiasm and thoughtful analysis. Her work often dives into Marvel theories, revisits the genius of The Big Bang Theory, or unpacks the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.
