Jake Gyllenhaal, a former member of the MCU, has had a remarkable acting career. He has received glowing praise for his performances, made millions of dollars at the box office, and even influenced celebrities from other industries to try their hand at acting in significant motion pictures.
His career took off in the 2000s after he and Heath Ledger co-starred in Brokeback Mountain. Although they looked stunning together on screen, things weren’t always easy behind the scenes of Brokeback Mountain. There was a lot of friction between the two actors, reportedly they physically injured each other during the shoot.
The director of Brokeback Mountain talks about the friction between the two actors
Both lead men went on a rural vacation in a bid to gain a sense of their characters’ lifestyles to prepare for a part like this. The director of the film also opened up about the work the actors had to put in; getting into the character was extremely challenging for them.
“I gave both men a couple of books about the rural Midwest, and they went to a cowboy camp, too. But Heath grew up on a ranch in Australia – he was a natural. He didn’t need to do a lot of the work, but he took the training in good faith. He was so good with animals, too. When he sat on that horse, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind. He was a cowboy,”
In an interview with Empire, director Ang Lee reminisced about working with Heath Ledger and spoke candidly about the relationships between Ledger and his co-actors.
“Then it came to Jake, Heath had a very different attitude towards their work. Sometimes there was friction – not quarrelling, but a clash of styles. Sometimes I would mediate that, but they were both good in different ways. They would always make the effort to find a way through.”
The director also praised the actors, they surprised him with their dedication towards the character and the preparation they put in preparing for the role. He also mentioned how Ledger was very caring towards another co-star who hurt herself. But with Gyllenhaal, the actor was completely different.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger beat the shit out of each other
Together with actors like Heath Ledger, Anne Hathaway, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, and Michelle Williams, Gyllenhaal had a standout performance. Brokeback Mountain won three Academy Awards and received a ton of appreciation from critics. Shooting the film was an intense experience, and at one point, Gyllenhaal nearly had his nose broken.
“Heath almost broke my nose in a kissing scene. He grabs me and he slams me up against the wall and kisses me. And then I grab him and I slam him up against the wall and I kiss him. And we were doing take after take after take. I got the s*** beat out of me. We had other scenes where we fought each other and I wasn’t hurting as badly as I did after that one.”
The astonishing thing about this narrative is that absolutely nothing is visible on screen. With his directing, Ang Lee was able to bring out the best in both actors, creating the amazing romantic dynamic that moviegoers witnessed onscreen.
Brokeback Mountain is available on Amazon Prime.
Source: Empire
