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These Actors Turned Down Roles in 2005's 'Brokeback Mountain'

These Actors Turned Down Roles in 2005's 'Brokeback Mountain'

Brokeback Mountain could have had a very different cast!

Ang Lee ended up directing the film, but before signing on, director Gus Van Sant was also in the running to direct the groundbreaking 2005 film.

Gus spoke in an interview about the actors he originally offered roles to, before they turned it down.

“Nobody wanted to do it. I was working on it, and I felt like we needed a really strong cast, like a famous cast. That wasn’t working out. I asked the usual suspects: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe. They all said no,” Gus told IndieWire.

“Yes, all those young gentlemen (at the time) turned down the project, for various reasons,” producer and screenwriter Diana Ossana confirmed.

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal ended up starring in the film, and both received Oscar nominations for their work.

FYI: Ang Lee ended up winning the Oscar for Best Director for his work on the film! The film also was nominated for a slew of other Oscars.

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