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Before there were the iconic duo of Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in Ang Lee's iconic adaptation of Annie Proulx's short story Brokeback Mountain, two other early 2000s heartthrobs were set to take on the role.
Originally, actor Josh Hartnett and Joaquin Phoenix were cast to play the star-crossed lovers in the Oscar-nominated film. As that would never come to pass due to schedule conflicts, the version we know now arose from this version's ashes.
But Harnett most certainly still has a few regrets about not playing the role.
Josh Hartnett reveals he was cast in Brokeback Mountain alongside Joaquin Phoenix but had to drop out due to contractual obligations. \n\n\u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to kiss Joaquin. So that\u2019s my biggest regret.\u201dpic.twitter.com/7nMUrSL4Wf— Film Updates (@Film Updates) 1639266364
i\u2019m really happy with the cast they went with, but here is what we could\u2019ve had pic.twitter.com/dJdHv0KmJo— Claudia (Michael Shannon stan) (@Claudia (Michael Shannon stan)) 1639267717
So they dropped them both? Imagine if it ended up being Heath and Joaquin.— Batarama\ud83e\udd87 (@Batarama\ud83e\udd87) 1639278354
he and everyone else in the world wants to kiss joaquin— \ud835\udd91\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd9d \ud83d\udd77 (@\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd9a\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd9d \ud83d\udd77) 1639267094
Hartnett ended up as a cast member of the film The Black Dahlia, based on the infamous unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short in 1940s Los Angeles.
"[Brokeback Mountain] was a different film altogether, it was me and Joaquin Phoenix. But they went on to do it with Heath [Ledger] and Jake [Gyllenhaal].”
Guy Ritchie better make this happen in one of his next filmshttps://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— DEJ #BlackLivesMatter #TransRights #FreePalestine (@DEJ #BlackLivesMatter #TransRights #FreePalestine) 1639405871
There\u2019s still time to make another gay western and let Josh Hartnett live his dream!https://twitter.com/filmupdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— Peter Vulfranc (@Peter Vulfranc) 1639342547
yo don't need cameras to live your dreams babyhttps://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— Antidepressants Enthusiast (@Antidepressants Enthusiast) 1639335766
Wait... this could\u2019ve been a SERVE but I\u2019m happy with the cast they went withhttps://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— \u2661 \u2661 \u2661 (@\u2661 \u2661 \u2661) 1639320882
Hartnett was sad his dream of kissing Joaquin Phoenix was dashed.
“I’ve always wanted to kiss Joaquin, so that’s my biggest regret."
The film would go on to receive 7 Oscar nods and remains one of the more consequential films ever made by a large studio for LGBTQ+ people.
Ledger and Gyllenhaal received Oscar nods each.
It\u2019s not too late, Josh. We just need to find a good movie for both of you. https://twitter.com/filmupdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— Maggie Lovitt (Taylor's Version) (@Maggie Lovitt (Taylor's Version)) 1639319511
Make a remake. Prove it.https://twitter.com/filmupdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— Skinny Bitch \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83c\udfa8 (@Skinny Bitch \ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb\u200d\ud83c\udfa8) 1639303198
I'm with Josh on this one, who WOULDN'T want to kiss soft gay cowboy Joaquin? https://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— grace \ud83e\udd94 is on semi-hiatus (@grace \ud83e\udd94 is on semi-hiatus) 1639300450
i know he was being tongue in cheek but i'll still take the bait https://twitter.com/filmupdates/status/1469815778048307203\u00a0\u2026— mula (@mula) 1639404690
2022 will have to be the year when Hollywood finds some way to get Phoenix and Hartnett to kiss on screen, since 2005 was so unfairly robbed of that event.