These Brokeback Mountain Secrets Are What We Got Now

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Brokeback Mountain‘s release in 2005 was a big deal, on multiple levels.

Ang Lee’s film tells the sweeping story of Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist over two decades. The two men fall in love while working as ranch hands in Wyoming in the summer of 1963. Although they both go on to marry and have families, they can’t let go of their feelings for each other.

The movie, based on a 1997 short story by Annie Proulx, had a difficult journey to release. While Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal starred, many didn’t think it was a guaranteed success, and the concept of a film about a gay cowboy couple was seen as a risky venture for everyone involved.

Lee admitted he didn’t hesitate to take on the project, but when he first read the screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, he initially thought it would be another fantastic script that never got made, according to an interview with TopMob News.

The film and its writers received Oscars in 2006, and Brokeback Mountain became incredibly well-known, earning both praise and controversy. It was widely discussed, satirized, and ultimately recognized as a classic love story. The on-screen chemistry extended off-screen as well, with Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams falling in love during the making of the film.

You know, it’s funny how things work out. Even when Lost in Translation didn’t win at the Oscars and Crash took home the Best Picture award – a decision many still debate – it actually added to the film’s mystique. It reinforced that feeling of being beautifully, quietly different, and cemented its place as a truly special movie. It’s like the snub became part of its story!

“I mean, what was Crash?” Williams cracked on Watch What Happens Live in April.

Now, Brokeback Mountain is considered a classic film that people enjoy watching again and again, and its themes are no longer seen as shocking or challenging.

You know, what really struck me about this movie is how it completely shifts your perspective. As Jake Gyllenhaal explained when it first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival back in 2005, people go in with one idea of what it’s going to be, and they walk out feeling something totally different – something they never anticipated. It really stays with you, that unexpected shift in how you see things.

Watching Brokeback Mountain is a deeply emotional experience – it’s a film that’s guaranteed to make you cry, and its impact doesn’t lessen with repeated viewings.

Here are the secrets behind the making—and ultimate success—of Brokeback Mountain: 

Screenwriter Diana Ossana discovered Annie Proulx’s 1997 short story in The New Yorker and suggested to her longtime writing partner, Larry McMurtry, that they adapt it into a film together.

According to Ossana, Proulx gave them her blessing, and they quickly wrote a script over three months before sharing it with others, as he told Out magazine in 2015.

“About five days later, Gus Van Sant showed up at our door in Texas wanting to make it,” she said. “But Gus couldn’t get Ennis cast—that’s what slowed it. Larry believed actors’ representatives were dissuading them from doing the part—they called it career suicide for a straight actor to play a gay person. We just thought that was ridiculous.”

James Schamus, a producer and cofounder of Focus Features, acquired the rights to the project in 2001 and then suggested it to director Ang Lee. Lee was enthusiastic about it, but decided to direct Hulk first.

Jake Gyllenhaal shared with Out magazine that the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain had been circulating for quite some time – which is common for compelling films. He revealed he’d even discussed the project with a different director about four years before Ang Lee became involved, when Gyllenhaal was around 19 years old.

He admitted the film would be challenging and potentially unpopular, but he underestimated just how hard it would be to actually get it produced.

In a 2018 interview with Indiewire, Gus Van Sant explained that he wanted a well-known cast for the film, but couldn’t get any A-list actors on board. He approached several popular stars – Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Ryan Phillippe – but they all turned down the project.

Looking back, he realized he wasn’t sure why he’d been so focused on getting famous actors for the film, and admitted he probably wasn’t experienced enough to direct it then.

“There was something off with myself, I guess,” he said, “whatever was going on.”

Mark Wahlberg met with Lee, but later admitted to WENN in 2007, according to the Advocate, that he felt a bit uneasy after reading the first 15 pages of the script.

I once told Ang Lee that I admired his talent and was open to discussing things further, but thankfully he didn’t take me up on it. I didn’t feel compelled to see Brokeback Mountain – it just wasn’t the kind of film I enjoy. However, it’s clear it was a well-made film, given how well it was received by audiences.

Following the disappointing performance of Hulk, Ang Lee found renewed purpose through Brokeback Mountain. He told Out magazine that working on Brokeback Mountain helped him rediscover his passion for filmmaking and for life. He emphasized he wasn’t the sole author of the film, but a collaborator in a project destined to resonate with audiences and make an impact. He described the entire team as feeling fortunate to be a part of something special, a feeling he hasn’t experienced with any other film.

The screenwriter remembered that Ossana’s daughter proposed Heath Ledger for the part of the troubled cowboy Ennis Del Mar back in early 2003. After watching a few of Ledger’s films, McMurtry was sold on the idea. However, the studio didn’t seem to give the suggestion much consideration.

Following yet another casting change, Ossana shared that Ledger read the script and immediately called it the most beautiful he had ever seen.

Jake Gyllenhaal remembers that when he initially met with director Ang Lee, Lee was considering several different pairings of actors for the film. Gyllenhaal described the meeting as a little awkward, but he was pleased to learn that Lee believed he and Heath Ledger would work well together.

Gyllenhaal explained that choosing two straight actors for the roles was seen as a bigger risk for their careers than for the film itself, but he was completely comfortable taking on the part of Jack Twist.

He told TopMob News at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival that he wasn’t intimidated by the story’s themes. He admitted he might be a little naive, but he believes a love story truly comes alive when it’s reimagined and told in a fresh way.

Anne Hathaway, who played Jack’s wife Lureen, also didn’t bat an eye.

To be honest, I’ve never worried about what others think,” she shared with TopMob at the film’s press event. “I was raised around gay men – and I’m serious – from the very beginning, so it’s always felt normal to me. I never considered how it might seem to others, because I think it’s time for them to adjust their perspectives.”

The two actors became casual friends a few years before working together, after they both failed to get the main role in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, which went to Ewan McGregor. As Jake Gyllenhaal later told GQ Australia in 2018, they connected over their shared disappointment.

The actor recalled that after the release and success of Brokeback Mountain, Heath Ledger called him a few months later with some surprising news. Ledger told him that Baz Luhrmann had offered him a role in his next film, but he had decided to decline it, exclaiming, ‘I just wanted you to know, I turned it down!’

He added, “So that was how much Heath loved me, you know. That was how I met him.”

The film’s impact goes beyond just changing people’s opinions. While filming, Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams developed a close connection and had a daughter, Matilda Ledger, on October 28, 2005.

Let me tell you, filming that sledding scene with Heath and Michelle was quite an adventure! Poor Michelle actually took a tumble and twisted her knee – we ended up having to rush her to the hospital. It was a bit scary for everyone on set, but thankfully she was okay.

According to Ossana, who spoke with Out magazine in 2015, Heath refused to let her travel alone. As they got into the car together, he gently brushed her hair back. Ossana recalls Heath looking at her with intense focus, and her looking back at him, surprised by his attention. It was clear from that moment on that he was completely smitten – it was love at first sight for him.

The script was first sent to Anne Hathaway to see if she’d be interested in the role of Alma. While she was very impressed with it, she later told Out magazine that she immediately felt a stronger connection to the character of Lureen. She described the feeling as similar to instantly recognizing a deep connection with someone you’re meant to know.

Anne Hathaway was filming the ball scene for Princess Diaries 2 when she headed to her audition. She was still in costume – a ballgown and a very elaborate hairstyle – which, surprisingly, also suited a rodeo queen. She simply changed into jeans and a flannel shirt, then drove across the studio lot in a golf cart, still wearing the over-the-top hairpiece.

She explained that when she left the room, she felt certain she had completely and permanently sealed it off – it was hers and hers alone.

The production also stuck with the princess look, styling Hathaway in notoriously poofy wigs.

Gyllenhaal described a training period where the group learned to ride horses. He told Out that while Heath Ledger was already a skilled rider, they all spent time practicing and relaxing together at a ranch near Los Angeles.

Hathaway, meanwhile, had never even been on a horse, but she told Lee that she knew how to ride.

She eventually shared that she became very skilled, but she was unexpectedly given a horse that only responded to voice commands. During a rehearsal with 300 rodeo professionals as onlookers, she couldn’t get the horse to cooperate, and it ultimately threw her in front of everyone.

While filming the scene where Jack and Ennis talk about Ennis’s childhood, Gyllenhaal improvised, and Ledger didn’t appreciate it, according to Lee.

Lee explained to Out that Heath became extremely distressed, feeling like it set back all the work he’d done. He contrasted this with Jake, who prefers to experiment and improvise. Heath, however, prepared very thoroughly, and Lee described how he maintained a tense physical state – clenched jaw and a scrunched-up face – for around two months, never relaxing.

When filming the scene where Ennis is heartbroken after Jack leaves, actor Heath Ledger unexpectedly punched a real brick wall instead of simply leaning against it as planned. As Hathaway explained to Out magazine, everyone on set was worried because it wasn’t a prop wall—it was a genuine brick wall. Ledger went through with the punch, and reports came back that his hand was badly injured, possibly even broken.

Kate Mara, who was 22 years old when she portrayed Ennis and Alma’s daughter as a teenager, recalls Heath Ledger mentoring her on set, even though he was only four years her senior.

Mara recalled on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in 2020 how she originally auditioned for a role portraying a 19-year-old. However, director Ang Lee decided to have her play a much younger character—around 14 years old—and added scenes to reflect that change.

She remembered thinking it wouldn’t succeed at first. However, Heath was incredibly supportive and found a way to make it happen.

When the movie was released, Heath Ledger told TopMob that, unlike his character, he personally loved the idea of love. He dismissed the idea of needing to prepare for intimate scenes with Jake Gyllenhaal any differently than he would with a female partner. He explained that he was fascinated by love, understood its complexities—especially unexpressed feelings—and knew how to physically express affection. He simply approached those scenes the same way he would with anyone, just with a different person. He felt confident in his ability to convey intimacy, regardless of gender.

Despite having a few lighter scenes, Brokeback Mountain is a deeply sad film with a heartbreaking conclusion that criticizes some of society’s most negative tendencies. Ironically, the movie also became the target of many jokes, with “Brokeback” often used as a shorthand for gay relationships and the line “I wish I knew how to quit you” becoming a popular comedic quote.

In a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, Jake Gyllenhaal recalled that Heath Ledger never wanted to joke around after the film’s release, even though many people were making jokes about it at the time.

Ledger even refused to poke fun at the Oscars, where usually all the films are fair game.

In a 2020 interview with Another Man, Jake Gyllenhaal recalled that the Academy Awards considered opening with a humorous bit referencing Heath Ledger’s passing. Ledger, however, firmly objected. Gyllenhaal admitted he didn’t fully understand at the time, thinking it was just a matter of taking things lightly, but Ledger explained that the subject wasn’t funny to him and he didn’t want to joke about it.

After Jack’s death, Ennis went to his parents’ house and found something in Jack’s room that showed how much he cared. This discovery unleashed twenty years of suppressed feelings.

And that wasn’t an easy scene for Ledger to shoot.

Ossana explained to Out that the actor became incredibly emotional and abruptly left the building. She followed him and asked if he was alright, and he simply said he needed some time to himself. Fortunately, he returned after about half an hour and was able to finish the scene. Ossana noted that actors with that level of commitment and emotional depth are rare.

In an interview with Out magazine, Jake Gyllenhaal shared that one of the most heartbreaking parts of Heath Ledger’s passing is losing the chance to collaborate with him creatively. He described their creative exchange as a truly beautiful aspect of their working relationship.

Even in 2020, twelve years after Heath Ledger’s accidental overdose, the director still found it difficult to watch the film. He explained to Another Man that Ledger possessed a unique quality—an essence—that made their work special. He admitted he and Ledger both felt a sense of mystery surrounding their creative connection, even while they were making the film.

In April 2025, while on Watch What Happens Live, Williams recalled being surprised by the strong emotional response to the film. She said, “I remember doing press for it and being struck by how often I saw grown men crying. That’s when we all realized it was going to really connect with people.”

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2025-12-09 11:18