Heath Ledger was not in favour of any kind of Brokeback Mountain related jokes, when it came down to the award seasons back in 2006.
The celebrated late actor and cultural icon reportedly refused to present at the Oscars that year over jokes related to the high-octane, gut-wrenching Ang Lee-directed film about love and loss, which centred around an intense romantic relationship between the two men (played by Heath and Jake Gyllenhaal), based on a time and place in America – when it could get you killed.
39 year old Gyllenhaal reflected back at the event during his recent interview with fashion magazine – Another Man, and here’s what he recollected:
“I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it. 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.’”
The Prisoners actor further continued:
“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.’”
Heath Ledger was certainly the MVP and he’s missed for countless reasons like these, apart from the endless possibilities of his blossoming career and his unmissable talent.