Mark Wahlberg passed up the opportunity to star in one of the most iconic movies of all-time due to feeling ‘creeped out’ by its same-sex storyline.
Wahlberg, now 53, and best known for roles in The Departed and The Transformers franchise, could have starred in 2005 Ang Lee epic
Brokeback Mountain – which became one of the most successful LGBTQ+ films in history and netted three Oscars.
However Wahlberg confessed to feeling uncomfortable due to the ‘graphic, descriptive’ nature of the script – which tells the tale of two American cowboys turned gay lovers – with the roles ultimately played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
In a 2007 interview Wahlberg said the film’s first sex scene between the cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist left him convinced the film ‘wasn’t his deal’,
He said: ‘I met with Ang Lee in that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out
Wahlberg added: ‘the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing.’
‘Obviously, it was done in taste – look how it was received.’
The National Enquirer reported at the time that Wahlberg’s Catholic priest advised him to pass on the project.
Before Lee – who would win the Best Director Oscar for the film – took on the project, My Own Private Idaho filmmaker Gus Van Sant was approached to direct, and he revealed numerous A-listers had been offered, and passed, on the project.
He told IndieWire in 2018: ‘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, and Ryan Phillippe. They all said no.
Despite passing on the opportunity to star in Brokeback Mountain, Mark Wahlberg went on to have a successful acting career with notable roles in films like The Departed and the Transformers franchise. While the film went on to become one of the most successful LGBTQ+ films in history, Wahlberg admitted that he felt uncomfortable with the script’s same-sex storyline.
In a 2007 interview, Wahlberg revealed that he read 15 pages of the script and was put off by the graphic and descriptive nature of the scenes, particularly the first sex scene between the cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist. He mentioned feeling ‘creeped out’ and ultimately decided that the film ‘wasn’t his deal.’
It’s interesting to note that before Ang Lee took on the project, Gus Van Sant was approached to direct and had trouble securing a strong cast. A-list actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Ryan Phillippe all turned down the opportunity to star in the film.
Despite Wahlberg’s decision to pass on Brokeback Mountain, the film was well-received and Ang Lee went on to win the Best Director Oscar for his work. It’s a reminder that sometimes even the biggest stars in Hollywood have their reservations about certain projects.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
