Anne Hathaway: An actor friend of mine said, "Read this script." I did, and it was a heartbreaking and very real love story. I thought, "I’ve got to be a part of this."
I went to a bookstore and found
Close Range. I read
Brokeback Mountain first and then went back and read the rest of the stories. Annie Proulx revealed a part of American history to me that I didn’t know existed.
There’s a line in the short story, and the screenplay: "If you can’t fix it, you gotta stand it." Although the story is Ennis and Jack’s, and they’re the best example of it, that line really applies to all the characters in the movie; it’s a human truth.
This screenplay shows that not having the freedom to be who you are doesn’t just affect you; it affects the people that you let into your life. I didn’t know this [at first], but "Ennis" means "island." Ennis is a man
unto himself, and he keeps to himself the
most of anybody in
Brokeback Mountain -- and that still affects people. He can’t access his emotions and be with the person he loves
most in the entire world.
Brokeback Mountain Production Notes