“Brokeback Mountain” is a film that has a long, complicated legacy. At the time of its release, the film was lauded as a monumental success, winning 3 Oscars, and seemed to be a cultural milestone for LGBTQ representation on screen. However, in recent years, the film has lost a bit of luster as the representation was made by two straight men, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. So, you can understand why Gyllenhaal might have conflicting feelings about “Brokeback Mountain.”
Speaking to The Times, Gyllenhaal talked a bit about the film, which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. And when he was asked if he thinks “Brokeback Mountain” could be made with two straight men in the lead roles today, he’s not so sure. But that doesn’t mean he’s not proud of the 2005 film.
“Aaahh. I don’t know. Maybe?” said Gyllenhaal. “Part of the medicine of storytelling is that we were two straight guys playing these parts. There was a stigma about playing a part like that, you know, why would you do that? And I think it was very important to both of us to break that stigma.”
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He continued, “But then again I think that has led the way towards people saying, you know, people of all different experiences should be playing more roles, that it shouldn’t be limited to a small group of people. And I believe that. But at the same time, I was very proud to be in that space and to be given that opportunity. And the reaction from the majority of the gay community when the movie came out, I got this sort of — we both did, everyone in the movie — we got this overwhelming sense of open-heartedness and gratitude.”
For those that haven’t seen the film, “Brokeback Mountain” tells the story of two cowboys that are seemingly happy with their straight male existence but end up finding themselves attracted to one another and begin an intimate, loving relationship.
Of course, it’s inevitable when you talk about LGBTQ representation and straight folks playing gay roles, to mention the idea of public sentiment and “cancel culture.” Gyllenhaal is very diplomatic with his response about actors being fearful of public outrage.
“I think we’re living in a time where nuance is not as appreciated, and it probably becomes inflamed by the fact that we’re not in person, not face to face, where so much more is understood,” he said. “But I definitely stand behind all the movements that have happened, you know, I think we are in a massive transition.”
Gyllenhaal is now seen in a new Netflix film, “The Guilty,” which arrives on the streaming service this week.
