Jake Gyllenhaal was Oscar-nominated for his performance in "Brokeback Mountain ."- In a new interview, Gyllenhaal said there was a "stigma" to playing the gay role.
- Gyllenhaal also spoke about straight actors playing gay roles.
"Brokeback Mountain" was a groundbreaking movie that led to Oscar nominations for both of its stars in
However, Gyllenhaal, who was nominated for best supporting actor at the 2006 Oscars, has recently spoken about the "stigma" that was attached to taking on and playing a gay role in a film about two cowboys who embark on a complex and emotional relationship across several decades.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Gyllenhaal was asked if people would have "a different reaction" to two straight men taking on the roles in "Brokeback Mountain" today than they had back in 2005.
"I don't know. Maybe?" Gyllenhaal said. "Part of the medicine of storytelling is that we were two straight guys playing these parts. There was a stigma about playing a part like that, you know, why would you do that? And I think it was very important to both of us to break that stigma."
Gyllenhaal continued: "But then again, I think that has led the way towards people saying, you know, people of all different experiences should be playing more roles, that it shouldn't be limited to a small group of people. And I believe that."
"Brokeback Mountain" was one of only a few instances where straight actors had taken on mainstream gay roles, and it became arguably the most successful movie of its kind with eight Oscar nominations and three wins, including best director for Ang Lee.
The movie was a landmark event for queer cinema and still has a cultural impact to this day and influences many LGBTQ+ filmmakers. Last year, Lee Daniels told Insider that he was actually set to direct the movie.
However, in recent years, attitudes have shifted on straight actors taking on queer roles, with the LGBTQ+ community concerned that straight actors are taking parts from queer actors who may be better suited to the roles.
Earlier this year, the iconic writer and showrunner Russell T. Davies, who most recently created the series "It's a Sin," said that straight actors should not play queer roles.
"You wouldn't cast someone able-bodied and put them in a wheelchair, you wouldn't black someone up. Authenticity is leading us to joyous places," Davies told the Radio Times.
However, several queer filmmakers, including the star of "It's a Sin" Neil Patrick Harris, have argued that straight actors should be allowed to play queer characters provided they do so with respect. Many straight actors have actually been praised for their performances as queer characters and have gone on to win several awards for doing so.
Most recently, Ewan McGregor won an Emmy for playing gay fashion designer Roy Halston in Netflix's "Halston."
McGregor, who is straight, spoke about taking on the role in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: "If it had been a story about Halston's sexuality more, then maybe it's right that gay actors should play that role. But in this case - and I don't want to sound like I'm worming out of this, because it's something I did think a lot about - I suppose ultimately I felt like it was just one part of who he was."