Michelle Williams appeared on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen this week, revisiting her experience filming Brokeback Mountain and reflecting on the response the movie received during its 2005 release. While promoting her upcoming FX series Dying for Sex, Williams responded to Cohen’s comments about the film’s lasting effect.
Cohen opened the conversation by expressing how much the film meant to him personally. “May I gush to you about what an important movie Brokeback Mountain was to me, and it is still I think in my top two movies of all time,” he said. He asked Williams whether she sensed its cultural weight while working on it. Williams responded, “Yes, because people were so open about it.”
She spoke about her experience during the press tour, saying, “I just remember doing the junket and you don’t get an opportunity to see a lot of grown men cry. That was the moment that I think we all knew that it was going to be special to people.”
Directed by Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain starred Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as two ranch workers involved in a long-term romantic relationship, while Williams and Anne Hathaway played their wives. The film earned eight Academy Award nominations and won three: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score.
The film was widely considered a front-runner for Best Picture. That award went to Crash, which had six nominations and won three, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. Directed by Paul Haggis, Crash focused on intersecting lives in Los Angeles, with a cast that included Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Thandiwe Newton, and Brendan Fraser.
On Cohen’s show, the discussion shifted to the film’s loss. “I was very upset about the Best Picture loss,” Cohen said. “I mean, Crash? Is that what won?”
Williams responded with a brief comment: “I mean, what was Crash?” Cohen followed with, “Right, thank you! By the way, who’s talking about Crash right now? I hear a pin drop.”
Director Ang Lee spoke last year about his experience during the Oscars ceremony. He recalled being asked by a stage manager to stay near the stage just before the Best Picture announcement. “They called me down, and said, ‘Stay here. That’s your mark. Everybody assumes you will win,’” he said. “I saw Jack Nicholson, his profile, he opened the envelope, and I go, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ It took like 10 seconds before he announced, and then he went, ‘Crash.’”
When asked if he believed the result had anything to do with the film’s subject matter, Lee responded, “I think so, yeah.”
Williams earned her first Oscar nomination for her role as Alma, the wife of Heath Ledger’s character. She has since received multiple nominations and continues to work across both film and television. Her new series, Dying for Sex, is scheduled to premiere later this year.