Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio Turned Down ‘Brokeback Mountain’

Brokeback Mountain broke new ground when it hit theaters in 2005, becoming a critical and commercial hit while delivering a big screen gay romance to the mainstream. The Ang Lee-directed film made even bigger stars out of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, who both landed Oscar nominations for the film.
There’s an alternate universe, however, where Brokeback Mountain looked a whole lot different. Before Lee came on, the film was in the hands of director Gus Van Sant who had a different idea about who to cast in the film. Van Sant told IndieWire that his early version of Brokeback Mountain didn’t come together because he couldn’t cast big names to play gay lovers. Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt turned down the role.

“Nobody wanted to do it,” said Van Sant. “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.”
Diana Ossana, the film’s producer and screenwriter confirmed Van Sant’s comment. “Yes, all those young gentlemen (at the time) turned down the project, for various reasons.”
Ultimately Van Sant blames himself for his version of Brokeback Mountain not taking off and not the actors. “What I could have done, and what I probably should have done, was cast more unknowns, not worried about who were the lead actors,” said Van Sant. “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.”
The movie then passed on to Ang Lee, who cast Ledger and Gyllenhaal and made cinema history.

(via USA Today)

Where to watch Brokeback Mountain