I had seen several of his movies before Brokeback- TTIHAU, AKN, The Order, The Patriot and Monster's Ball. I remember him mainly from TTIHAY because I thought, and still, think, it's one of the best movies in the genre. I also remember the small hype around his character in Monster's Ball.
I really didn't have much of an opinion about him though, I was just aware of his presence and his good looks. So therefore my jaw litterally dropped when I watched Brokeback.
Jake is a different story. I saw him years ago in October Sky and fell in love with the movie. Bought the movie and the book behind it. It wasn't like I had a crush on him - he looked way too young - but I thought he was great and I remember hoping that I would get to see more of him.