Jake Gyllenhaal credits 'progressive' upbringing for taking on role in 'Brokeback Mountain'

Brokeback Mountain is one of Jake Gyllenhaal’s most memorable films, in which he played a gay character opposite his on-screen lover Heath Ledger. He’s now opening up about it, saying he didn’t think twice about taking on the challenge.

The film came out in 2005 and it was one of the first of its kind to portray an authentic experience in the LGBT community, which a lot of actors shied away from at the time. Gyllenhaal now refers to it as "one of the most beautiful scripts I've ever read."

In an interview at the Loyola Marymount University School of Film & TV, Gyllenhaal said his “progressive” upbringing gave him a deep understanding of the theme from a young age.

“I remember being specifically told that my teachers were gay,” he said of his childhood, THR reports. “I was just that age and that was just how it was, and my parents were very… you know, that’s how I was raised. Like super progressive.”

Ten years ago, the love story between Gyllenhaal and Ledger’s characters broke the mold and he said he “naively” didn’t feel the pressure to take on the role.

"When the opportunity came, I was a young actor. I was like, 'Yeah, I’m in.' I know a lot has been made of the choice to do it, but it just didn't seem like something that was scary to me," he explained.

 

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