Director Of "Brokeback Mountain" Remembers "Clash Of Styles" Between Heath Ledger And Jake Gyllenhaal On Set

According to director Ang Lee of the 2005 romantic drama Brokeback Mountain, there “occasionally existed conflict” between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heather Ledger during filming.

In an interview with Empire magazine, Lee, 68, recounted working with the two actors on Brokeback Mountain and expressed his gratitude for “getting to observe Heath and Jake establish that relationship between their characters.”

He added that the late Ledger, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 28, “was always looking after” Michelle Williams when she damaged her knee before to filming, saying, “I saw it develop right in front of my eyes, from practice all the way to filming.”

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005) Heath Ledger (left) and Ang Lee on the set

“Heath had a very different outlook on their work when it came to Jake. There was occasionally friction, not fighting, but rather a clash of styles “The director made a point of mentioning Ledger and Gyllenhaal’s on-set chemistry.

However, Lee continued, “They were both good in different ways. Sometimes I would moderate that.” They always made an effort to find a passageway.

Additionally, Lee remembered that Ledger “understood the character of Ennis thoroughly” and seldom ever required specific instruction on set when filming the picture, which shows a complex romantic relationship between his and Gyllenhaal’s characters across a number of decades.

“I believe Heath had a close understanding of Ennis in his heart. He took direction extremely well on a technical level, but he operated alone, “Lee acknowledged working with Ledger to Empire. “Because he was so autonomous, you didn’t really need to talk to him all that often. If the outcome is what I want, then I’m content. If it isn’t, I could notify him and he would come up with a different plan.”

In reference to Heath Ledger’s character in the movie, Lee stated later in the piece, “So Heath’s aura fuels the whole plot. “He spent a lot of time getting ready, mainly by himself. And he frequently astounded me with his contributions to his work.”

In an interview with Vanity Fair in April, Gyllenhaal looked back on his career and discussed specifics of the friendship he developed with Ledger while filming the movie.

Gyllenhaal stated, “You know, I believe our relationship while shooting this film was something that was founded on a tremendous love for a lot of people that we knew and were raised by in our lives and a deep respect for their love and their partnership.

Ledger’s “consummate devotion to how serious and crucial” the characters’ relationship was in the movie was recalled by The Ambulance star.

“One of the things I really remember about the process after the movie came out was Heath never wanting to make a joke,” Gyllenhaal told the outlet.

“Even as I think culturally, there were many jokes being made about the movie or poking fun at and things like that. And his consummate devotion to how serious and important the relationship between these two characters was.”

Director Of “Brokeback Mountain” Remembers “Clash Of Styles” Between Heath Ledger And Jake Gyllenhaal On Set

According to director Ang Lee of the 2005 romantic drama Brokeback Mountain, there “occasionally existed conflict” between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heather Ledger during filming.

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