Mark Wahlberg passed up the opportunity to star in one of the most iconic movies of all-time due to feeling ‘creeped out’ by its same-sex storyline.
Wahlberg who is best known for roles in The Departed and The Transformers franchise, could have starred in 2005 Ang Lee epic, Brokeback Mountain – which became one of the most successful LGBTQ+ films in history and netted three Oscars.
HE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE
However 53-year-old Wahlberg confessed to feeling uncomfortable due to the ‘graphic, descriptive’ nature of the script – which tells the tale of two American cowboys turned gay lovers – with the roles ultimately played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
In a 2007 interview Wahlberg said the film’s first s-x scene between the cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist left him convinced the film ‘wasn’t his deal’.
He said: ‘I met with Ang Lee in that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out.
Wahlberg added: ‘the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing.’
‘Obviously, it was done in taste – look how it was received.’
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WHO TOLD WAHLBERG TO AVOID THE BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN PROJECT?
The National Enquirer reported at the time that Wahlberg’s Catholic priest advised him to pass on the project.
Before Lee – who would win the Best Director Oscar for the film – took on the project, My Own Private Idaho filmmaker Gus Van Sant was approached to direct, and he revealed numerous A-listers had been offered, and passed, on the project.
