Ang Lee had to 'mediate' the 'friction' between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger during 'Brokeback Mountain'

Ang Lee recalls the tension during the production of “Brokeback Mountain.”

The director remembered late lead star Heath Ledger in a tribute and detailed the "friction" between Ledger and co-star Jake Gyllenhaal over the queer western cowboy romance.

“Heath’s aura fuels the whole story. He did a lot of prep, mostly on his own. And he often surprised me with what he brought to his work,” said Lee. "One aspect that I cherish was seeing Heath and Jake [Gyllenhaal] develop that relationship between their characters. I saw it unfold before my eyes, from rehearsal to filming."

Lee continued, "Michelle Williams broke her knee during pre-shoot, but Heath was still looking after her. He was so naturally caring towards Michelle. When it came to Jake, Heath had an attitude. very different towards their work. Sometimes there was friction - not bickering, but a clash of styles. Sometimes I mediated, but they were both good in different ways. They always made the effort to find a pass.

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Lee continued, "In his heart, I think Heath knew the character of Ennis deeply. Technically, he took direction very well, but worked on his own. you really needed to talk a lot, because he was very independent. For me, if the result is good, then I'm happy. If not, I could tell him, and he would find something else."< /p>

Ledger died in 2008 and posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'

“Heath Ledger was a brilliant young actor,” Lee summed up. "God only knows what he would have accomplished later in life. He was so talented - I'm sure he would have been a great director. We're all very lucky to have been able to make movies with a actor of that caliber. He had a gift from God."

Ledger's "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Gyllenhaal reflected on the film's legacy earlier this year.

"The relationship between me and Heath while we were making this film was based on a deep love for many people we knew and grew up with in our lives, a deep respect for their love and their relationship", Gyllenhaal told Vanity Fair. ""There were a lot of jokes made about the movie, or making fun of things like that. And [Ledger's] total devotion to the seriousness and importance of the relationship between these two characters – it showed me how dedicated he was as an actor and how dedicated we both were. in history and film.

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