In a new interview with Jake Gyllenhaal, it can be revealed that the late Heath Ledger was the ultimate LGBTQIA+ ally.
For more on the film industry, make sure you check out this episode of It’s Been A Big Day For…
According to Gyllenhaal, the two of them were asked to speak at the 2007 Academy Awards, but Heath refused. Why? Because of a joke that was written into the ceremony’s opening monologue. In an interview with fashion magazine, Another Man, Gyllenhaal said:
“I mean, I remember they wanted to do an opening for the Academy Awards that year that was sort of joking about it… And Heath refused. I was sort of at the time, ‘Oh, okay…whatever.’ I’m always like, ‘It’s all in good fun.’ And Heath said, ‘It’s not a joke to me — I don’t want to make any jokes about it.’”
Honestly, as if we couldn’t love Heath Ledger more! Brokeback Mountain was one of the first few Oscar-nominated movies that had an LGBTQIA+ storyline. Props have to be given to Heath Ledger for being so adamant that the film Brokeback Mountain, which centred itself around a homosexual relationship, be taken seriously. We honestly have no choice but to stan.
Jake Gyllenhaal also commented on Heath’s character, saying:
“That’s the thing I loved about Heath. 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.’”
Having said that, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal’s relationship with the Oscars extends beyond this. Brokeback Mountain received eight Academy Award nominations, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film lost to the forgettable-movie Crash which received backlash for its win from fans and critics alike.
Heath Ledger did end up winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight a few years later. When he won, he had devastatingly already passed away from an overdose of oxycodone, diazepam, hydrocodone and doxylamine at the age of 28.
We ranked Heath Ledger as our favourite actor to come out of Home and Away, make sure you check out that list for more.
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