ABOVE: Jake Gyllenhaal in a interview with TODAY. (Screenshot from TODAY.com)
Jake Gyllenhaal revealed that his “Brokeback Mountain” co-star Heath Ledger wouldn’t tolerate homophobic jokes about the award-winning film.
“Brokeback Mountain” became fodder for gay jokes after its release in 2005 and inspired the “I wish I knew how to quit you” meme, a line that Gyllenhaal’s character famously tells Ledger’s character.
In an interview with Today, Gyllenhaal says Ledger would speak out against the homophobic jokes.
“I see people who have joked with me or criticized me about lines I say in that movie — and that’s the thing I loved about Heath,” Gyllenhaal says about the late actor. “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.’”
Gyllenhaal also explained how “Brokeback Mountain” skyrocketed his acting career.
“It opened tons of doors. It was crazy. It was amazing. It’s defined my career in different ways,” Gyllenhaal says. “[But the film] is bigger than me. It has become not ours anymore. It’s the world’s.”
