CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    SCIENCE
    • Hunt for the Cure
    • Rabbit Hole
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      HALF-FULL
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Face Masks
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Bedroom
        • Kitchen
        • Home
        • Fitness
        • The Case For
        • I'm Looking For
        • New Kids On the Block
        COUPONS
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • DoorDash Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • Wine.com Discounts
        • Vitacost Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE
        Movies

        Heath Ledger Once Shut Down a Homophobic ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Oscars Joke

        Jake Gyllenhaal says the Academy wanted to joke about the film in an Oscars opener. “Heath said, ‘It’s not a joke to me.”

        Laura Bradley

        Entertainment Reporter

        Published Apr. 07, 2020 4:04PM ET 

        Kevin Winter/Getty

        Brokeback Mountain occupies a strange space in film history. On one hand, Ang Lee’s 2005 film brought a complex queer love story to the mainstream, charmed critics, and proved itself a stellar Oscar performer. At the same time, an endless cycle of homophobic ridicule still largely succeeded in branding it “the gay cowboy movie.”

        But one person who never wavered in his support of the film and its thematic importance was its late star Heath Ledger. The late actor, who died in 2008, fought back against humor that dismissed the film’s importance—even, it turns out, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences offered him and co-star Jake Gyllenhaal an Oscars opener.

          Gyllenhaal has previously described how Ledger refused to let people off the hook for homophobic Brokeback Mountain jokes. On NBC’s Today last year, he said, “I see people who have joked with me or criticized me about lines I say in that movie—and that’s the thing I loved about Heath. He would never joke. Someone wanted to make a joke about the story or whatever, he was like, ‘No. This is about love.’ Like, that’s it, man. Like, no.’”

          In a Monday interview with Another Man magazine noted by Complex, Gyllenhaal recalled the Oscars offer. “I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it,” he said. “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.’”

          Laura Bradley

          Entertainment Reporter

          @lpbradleyLaura.Bradley@thedailybeast.com

          Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

          READ THIS LIST

          DAILY BEAST
          • Podcasts
          • Cheat Sheet
          • Politics
          • Crime
          • Entertainment
          • Media
          • Covid-19
          • Half Full
          • U.S. News
          • Scouted
          • Travel
          • Subscription
          • Crossword
          • Newsletters
          • Podcasts
          • About
          • Contact
          • Tips
          • Jobs
          • Advertise
          • Help
          • Privacy
          • Code of Ethics & Standards
          • Diversity
          • Terms & Conditions
          • Copyright & Trademark
          • Sitemap
          • Coupons
          © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC