Actor Jake Gyllenhaal recently
discussed the legacy of Brokeback Mountain and how Heath
Ledger's death has affected him.
Gyllenhaal, who is currently promoting
his latest film Southpaw, played gay opposite Ledger in
Brokeback Mountain, which recently celebrated its tenth
anniversary.
In an interview with NPR, Gyllenhaal
said that while he and Ledger felt “uncomfortable” at times, they
both believed in the film's message.
“It was fascinating, particularly
because I don't think we knew what a success the movie would be, what
it would become and it was an intimate and really scary thing for me
and Heath, in particular, to dive into,” Gyllenhall
said. “It was uncomfortable for both of us in some of the
scenes, and yet we both deeply believed in what the movie was saying.
… At the time it was pretty unreal. ... The emotional response you
get from that movie from people who see that movie, I think it was
one of the first movies where people would go, 'Oh, I can see it as
love.' Believe me, we got a lot of other responses, too.”
He went on to discuss Ledger's 2008
accidental death from a prescription drug overdose.
“I miss him as a human being and I
miss working with him and what an unfortunate thing it is that we
won't be able to see the beauty of his expression,” Gyllenhaal
said.
“I'm trying to be present where I am.
I'm trying to have relationships that are as real as they possibly
can be on a movie set, be close to people because I know that it's
precious. And I know, not only can this career end in a very short
period of time and this or that can happen, but also that life is
precious. I think losing Heath and being a part of a family that was
something like the movie, that movie we all made together, makes you
see that, makes you appreciate that and hopefully moves you away from
the things that really don't matter to the things that do,” he
added.