Arts & Entertainment
‘Brokeback Mountain’ almost starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt
Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe also turned down the roles
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Brokeback Mountain’ (Screenshot via YouTube)
Director Gus Van Sant dropped the names of actors who rejected the lead roles in “Brokeback Mountain,” including Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, in an interview with IndieWire.
Before Ang Lee came on board as the director of the 2005 gay love story, Van Sant was attached to the project. He admitted to IndieWire that finding big name actors for the film was a struggle.
“Nobody wanted to do it,” Van Sant said. “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.”
“What I could have done, and what I probably should have done, was cast more unknowns, not worried about who were the lead actors,” he went on. “I was not ready. I’m not sure why. There was just sort of a hiccup on my part. There was something off with myself, I guess, whatever was going on.”
Diana Ossana, who served as producer and screenwriter for”Brokeback Mountain,” confirmed Van Sant’s claims in an email to IndieWire.
“Yes, all those young gentlemen (at the time) turned down the project, for various reasons,” she wrote.
The roles of Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar would eventually go to Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, respectively. Lee would go on to win Best Director at the 2006 Academy Awards. Ossana and co-writer Larry McMurtry also took home Best Adapted Screenplay.
The D.C. Front Runners held the 14th annual 5K Pride Run at Congressional Cemetery on Saturday, June 6.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
View on Threads
Books
‘Mighty Real’ explores history of LGBTQ music
From Judas Priest to Whitney, something for every taste
‘Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969-2000’
By Barry Walters
c.2026, Viking
$35/496 pages
Step, step, tap, back step.
Shimmy in a circle, left hand waving over your head, shake your tail feathers, repeat to the beat. Once there was a time when you could do any dance in your sleep, but it’s been a while. So read “Mighty Real” by Barry Walters, and see if your toes don’t tap.
Fifty-seven years after Stonewall, and here we are: LGBTQ musicians still face scrutiny for their sexuality because, says Walters, music isn’t created for gay listeners. No problem: LGBTQ artists and writers have often penned lyrics carefully in order to say what can’t be said, “coding” songs for gay audiences that straight (and ignorant) listeners can dance to and enjoy with apparent obliviousness.
Walters offers “just a few” examples.
Lou Reed sang about trans people in the late ‘60s and offered a rallying song for the Gay Liberation Front in 1972, the latter of which felt like a message to a then-11-year-old Walters. Janis Joplin claimed she was straight, but she had several girlfriends. Motown singers often offered sometimes-ambiguous lyrics.
John Lennon’s hand placement on the back cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band made Walters begin to understand that he was different from other boys.
David Bowie is on his list, of course, as is Bette Midler, Elton John, Donna Summer, and Queen. You’ll find Judas Priest here, Green Day, and punk music. The Village People are included in this book, also Grace Jones, Duran Duran, and Cher, Whitney, Melissa, Latifah, and the lyrics from several blockbuster movies.
Two of Prince’s band members were lesbians, and they heavily influenced his albums. Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out” cemented her position in LGBTQ culture, and Michael Jackson’s inclusion here takes much careful consideration.
Read about Olivia Newton-John and the B52s. And then there’s Sylvester, for whom Walters has a soft spot in his heart. Sylvester’s death still makes Walters cry.
In his preface, author and music writer Barry Walters points out that music is what you make it and that it’s interpreted differently by each individual. To that end, this book naturally consists of preferential history and personal opinions about singers, bands, albums, and songs.
Agree or disagree. That’s where much of the appeal lies in “Mighty Real.”
Here, Walters wraps his memories around his choices, giving readers room for their own views, memories, and list making. Music-loving readers might also be surprised to note who’s not on Walters’ list – there aren’t many country performers here, for example, and the overall list focuses entirely on music from roughly 1968 to the year 2000, mostly on the kinds of songs you’ll want at the club or party. Again, discuss, and curate your own playlist.
This is a hefty book, but the chapters are browse-able and generally short enough to read in under five minutes. It’s nostalgic, yet also serious in the history it presents. This is the kind of book you want to leave near your album collection, or wherever you get your tunes. But finding “Mighty Real” is your first step.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington performed “Soul Divas” at the Lincoln Theatre over the weekend. The show featured songs popularized by Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston and more.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Hundreds of thousands expected to attend D.C. Pride events
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
PHOTOS: Pride Run
D.C.’s housing reality: Cautious optimism meets landlord strain
‘Mighty Real’ explores history of LGBTQ music
Leaving for a barge trip through canals of Burgundy
A vice president marches by our side
Ogles faces bipartisan backlash over anti-gay social media post
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
