JAKE GYLLENHAAL MISSES HEATH LEDGER 'AS A HUMAN BEING'; SAYS 'BROKEBACK' CHANGED HIM

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal recently discussed the legacy of Brokeback Mountain and how Heath Ledger's death has affected him.

Gyllenhaal, who is currently promoting his latest film Southpaw, played gay opposite Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary.

In an interview with NPR, Gyllenhaal said that while he and Ledger felt “uncomfortable” at times, they both believed in the film's message.

“It was fascinating, particularly because I don't think we knew what a success the movie would be, what it would become and it was an intimate and really scary thing for me and Heath, in particular, to dive into,” Gyllenhall said. “It was uncomfortable for both of us in some of the scenes, and yet we both deeply believed in what the movie was saying. … At the time it was pretty unreal. ... The emotional response you get from that movie from people who see that movie, I think it was one of the first movies where people would go, 'Oh, I can see it as love.' Believe me, we got a lot of other responses, too.”

He went on to discuss Ledger's 2008 accidental death from a prescription drug overdose.

“I miss him as a human being and I miss working with him and what an unfortunate thing it is that we won't be able to see the beauty of his expression,” Gyllenhaal said.

“I'm trying to be present where I am. I'm trying to have relationships that are as real as they possibly can be on a movie set, be close to people because I know that it's precious. And I know, not only can this career end in a very short period of time and this or that can happen, but also that life is precious. I think losing Heath and being a part of a family that was something like the movie, that movie we all made together, makes you see that, makes you appreciate that and hopefully moves you away from the things that really don't matter to the things that do,” he added.

SOURCE: ON TOP MAG