Jake Gyllenhaal says Heath Ledger hated 'Brokeback Mountain' jokes: 'This is about love'

Fifteen years ago, Jake Gyllenhaal starred alongside Heath Ledger in the critically acclaimed film "Brokeback Mountain," a same-sex love story he said "meant so much to us."

"It opened tons of doors," Gyllenhaal told Willie Geist during an interview Thursday for "Sunday Today." "It was crazy. It was amazing. It's defined my career in different ways.”

Gyllenhaal played Jack Twist and Ledger, who died in 2008, portrayed Ennis Del Mar, two sheep herders who develop a passionate relationship in the Wyoming mountains in the 1960s.

Despite becoming a pop culture phenomenon amid the film's success, "Brokeback Mountain" was plagued by insensitive jokes and often dubbed a "gay cowboy movie." Gyllenhaal said Ledger took issue with the parodying because it diminished the story. 

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"I see people who have joked with me or criticized me about lines I say in that movie," Gyllenhaal said. "That's the thing I loved about Heath. He would never joke. Someone wanted to make a joke about the story or whatever, he was like, 'No. This is about love. Like, that's it, man. Like, no.'"

The "Spider-Man Far From Home" actor, 38, said the "little movie we made … meant so much to us," even before they realized how much the same-sex love story resonated with others.

"This is a level of focus and attention that hits a certain nerve," he said. "This is bigger than me. … It has become not ours anymore. It's the world's."

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On the film's 10th anniversary in 2015, Gyllenhaal told Out that Ledger was very protective of the film's story, including the iconic "I wish I knew how to quit you" moment. 

"He was extraordinarily serious about the political issues surrounding the movie when it came out," Gyllenhaal said. "A lot of times people would want to have fun and joke about it, and he was vehement about being serious, to the point where he didn’t really want to hear about anything that was being made fun of." 

"Brokeback Mountain" went on to gross more than $178 million and earn eight Academy Award nominations, including best actor and best supporting actor nods for Ledger and Gyllenhaal, respectively.

"That kind of attention, to be 26 years old and to be at the Academy Awards, you're like 'Whoa,'" Gyllenhaal told Geist.

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