The Ang Lee-directed Brokeback Mountain is one of the most influential movies of the 2000s, but so many behind-the-scenes issues almost kept the profound film from ever being made. At the 78th Academy Awards, when Paul Haggis’ Crash was announced as the Best Picture winner, there was an audible gasp throughout the venue. Pretty much everyone in there – including the award’s announcer, Jack Nicholson – was expecting Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain to win. Lee’s film was a beautiful, tragic love story, a stepping stone for LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream Hollywood cinema, and undeniably one of the finest movies of 2005.
Crash isn’t a bad movie, but it’s a lot more heavy-handed and a lot less emotionally resonant than the cowboy movie, and Brokeback Mountain changed cinema forever. The Best Picture winner certainly doesn’t hold up as well as the Brokeback Mountain either. However, given the subject matter of Brokeback Mountain, the movie faced an uphill battle during its development. The problems didn’t end when the movie reached production either. Whether it’s sheep refusing to drink water, countless movie stars pulling out, or actors auditioning in princess outfits, despite Brokeback Mountain being a simple romance drama, the behind-the-scenes facts are outrageous.
Heath Ledger Nearly Broke Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nose During Brokeback Mountain’s Kissing Scene
It’s no secret how passionate Brokeback Mountain’s more intimate scenes are, but according to Gyllenhaal, the scenes were so passionate that he got a little too roughed up. The actor explained that when he and Ledger were filming one of the kissing scenes, Ledger accidentally came close to breaking Gyllenhaal’s nose in the throes of passion (via The Things). Gyllenhaal described, “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.”
Gus Van Sant & Joel Schumacher Both Wanted To Direct Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain’s behind-the-scenes development had openly gay filmmakers Gus Van Sant and Joel Schumacher both interested in directing the cowboy movie (via NY Times). Van Sant instead went on to direct Milk, a biopic about gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Van Sant is known for his dramatic and often harrowing and emotionally exhausting movies, so he would have been just as good of a choice as any. Though Schumacher is now famous for his lackluster Batman movies, he has an overlooked filmography that proves he would have done a great job too.
Anne Hathaway Auditioned For Brokeback Mountain In Her Princess Diaries 2 Costume
When Hathaway was first sent Brokeback Mountain’s script, she was being considered for the role of Alma, but as she read it, she found herself drawn to Lureen instead. Hathaway went into her audition in her wardrobe and makeup from The Princess Diaries 2, as she had to take a break from filming the sequel to attend the audition (via Cinemablend). Lee explained, “Anne came in, wearing heavy makeup and dressed as a princess, because she was shooting a parade scene for The Princess Diaries 2… She used her lunch hour to audition.” According to Lee, the casting director apologized to Lee on Hathaway’s behalf for what she was wearing.
Ang Lee Faced Constant Difficulties With Brokeback Mountain’s Sheep
Emma Thompson recalled in the published screenplay for Sense and Sensibility that Lee had difficulties with sheep on the set and vowed to never work with animals again. However, Brokeback Mountain is about two men who meet while herding sheep. Lee might’ve benefitted from sticking to his promise, as he faced constant problems with sheep on Brokeback Mountain behind the scenes. Sheep don’t drink from running water sources – only from ponds and lakes – so Lee spent a whole day trying to get sheep to drink from a stream (via LA Times). There was also the risk of the animals spreading diseases, as American sheep were mixed in with Canadian sheep.
Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal Were Required To Attend Cowboy Camp For Brokeback Mountain
The depictions of cowboys are what make Brokeback Mountain a great movie adaptation, and that’s thanks to Ledger and Gyllenhaal attending a training ranch called “cowboy camp.” However, having grown up on farms in Western Australia, Ledger barely needed any training whatsoever (via Entertainment Weekly). Ledger already had all the skills he needed. Lee explained, “He was a natural. 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.” Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, needed way more training given that he didn’t have as much experience.
Matt Damon & Ben Affleck Were Considered To Play Brokeback Mountain’s Male Leads
Before Ledger and Gyllenhaal were cast in the lead roles, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Billy Crudup, and Colin Farrell were all considered, among many others (via Us Magazine). Mark Wahlberg was considered for a role, but he turned down the script for being too sexually explicit. It’s been rumored that Joaquin Phoenix was offered a role, but he denies such an offer being made, as he would’ve accepted the part. However, Josh Hartnett regrets turning down Brokeback Mountain, which he says would have been with Phoenix. Joseph Fiennes was so eager to get himself cast that he met with three different attached directors during the development process.
Brokeback Mountain Crew Members Unknowingly Used The Same Book As A Visual Reference
Brokeback Mountain has such an accurate and authentic depiction of Wyoming in the 1960s, and the costume and set design were all on the same page, literally. Marit Allen, the costume designer working on Brokeback Mountain, consulted a book of Richard Avedon’s photographs of the American West from the 50s and 60s (via Focus Features). Coincidentally, a bunch of other crew members had been using the same book as a visual reference. No one had recommended it to anyone else; they all just happened to be on the same page about the movie’s production design. As it turned out, the screenwriters had consulted the book during pre-production, too.
The Shirts Worn By Brokeback Mountain’s Lead Actors Sold For More Than $100,000
Ennis and Jack’s shirts are featured prominently throughout Brokeback Mountain, and how these shirts are arranged in the characters’ wardrobes is a key component of the film’s visual storytelling. After the movie was released, in what is likely the most expensive vintage clothing ever, film historian and gay activist Tom Gregory purchased the shirts used during filming for $101,100 on eBay. According to Gregory, Ennis and Jack’s shirts are this generation’s answer to the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (via Today). The activist added, “I would never wear them, put them on, or separate them.“
Heath Ledger & Michelle Williams Fell In Love While Filming Brokeback Mountain
While Brokeback Mountain has a realistic depiction of love, the movie’s production featured a real romance story. Ledger and Michelle Williams, who plays Alma in Brokeback Mountain, fell in love and started dating. Williams gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, just before the film’s premiere. It was one behind-the-scenes Brokeback Mountain moment when everyone on set knew that there was a spark between them, as Williams twisted her knee during a stunt (via Out Magazine). Screenwriter Diana Ossana noted, “I remember him looking at her, and she looking up at him with these wide eyes. She was almost startled by the attention he was giving her.”
Brokeback Mountain Saved Ang Lee From An Early Retirement
Lee was interested in helming Brokeback Mountain years before he actually made it. Failing his first attempt to make it, Lee directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hulk, which left him feeling exhausted and disillusioned with filmmaking, and he seriously considered retiring (via Huff Post). In that time, Lee thought Brokeback Mountain had been made, explaining, “I thought somebody did it already. Then one day I was just asking James, ‘How did that movie turn out?’ And he said, ‘No, it’s not made yet.‘” As a result, he made the movie he always wanted to make, it ended up being Lee’s best movie, and it reinvigorated his passion for filmmaking.
