Some actors have had a hollow nose when it comes to roles. While others have missed out on big successes. Three very big names in Hollywood cinema have also said no to an emblematic film of the 2000s. They are Leonardo dicaprio, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon no less… Stars that need no introduction and who have had the right to more than one cult film to their credit, not to mention the prizes and rewards that go with it. But all three declined this film. However, it is a box office hit in the 2000s, which has since become a cult film.

But what is this film that is so iconic in Hollywood? This is the Secret of Brokeback Mountain. Directed by Ang Lee (The Odyssey of Pi), the film which has become a phenomenon depicts a romantic relationship between two men, in the 60s and 70s. While Gus Van Sant (Will Hunting) had already had the idea to bring this theme to the big screen at that same time, he had to give up. Since homosexuality is much more rarely shown on screen than today, the brilliant Secret of Brokeback Mountain has remained in legend.

They all said no

Gus Van Sant felt a little alone when he wanted to tackle this subject. In a Variety interview, he revealed the reason for his abandonment. “Nobody wanted to do it. I was working on it and I felt like we needed a really strong cast, like a famous cast. It wasn’t working. I interviewed the usual stars: Leonardo dicaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ryan Phillippe. They all said no,” he said.

The reasons for these numerous refusals

Refusals which have found explanations. Brad Pitt was not afraid to get involved in this project but was simply taken at the same time by the Ocean’s Eleven franchise. For his part, Leonardo dicaprio was working on the immense Catch Me If You Can. It was therefore Ang Lee who inherited this Brokeback Mountain project which highlighted two actors with incredible talent: the late Heath Ledger (Joker in The Dark Knight), Jake Gyllenhaal, revealed in Donnie Darko and who recently played Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home. A film for which these two, who played Jack and Ennis, two young cowboys, got it right since released in 2006, The Secret of Brokeback Mountain, which sees a friendship between two men gradually transform into a story d’amour, although it cost “only” the low budget of 14 million dollars, it collected more than 178 million at the worldwide box office. He also won the Oscar for best film, and three awards in the same event for best director, best adapted screenplay and original music.