Mark Wahlberg turned down role in Oscar-winning film as he was 'creeped out' by its same-sex plot

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mark Wahlberg has starred in plenty of graphic movies, including those with personal sequences that require an R-rating, but he once drew the line at a film that went on to win three Oscars. 

Feeling "creeped out" by the film's same-sex plot, the actor seemingly turned down the chance to star in the 2005 Ang Lee epic 'Brokeback Mountain', considered one of the greatest LGBTQ+ films ever made, as per Daily Mail. 

Mark Wahlberg got 'creeped out' by the graphic nature of the 'Brokeback Mountain' script 

'Brokeback Mountain' is about two young boys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, who meet while herding sheep on Wyoming's Brokeback Mountain in the 1960s and form a deep emotional and physical bond that evolves into a passionate and complex relationship. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were cast in the lead roles. 

In a 2007 interview, Wahlberg said that he knew the film was "just not my deal," when he got to know about the first sex scene involving the cowboys. 

He remarked, "I met with Ang Lee in that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out," adding, "It was very graphic, descriptive – the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing. I told Ang Lee, ‘I like you, you’re a talented guy, if you want to talk about it more.’"

At the time, the National Enquirer reported that Wahlberg's Catholic priest had counseled him against taking on the project. 

'Brokeback Mountain' received high praise from critics and was nominated for eight Oscars, including Gyllenhaal and Ledger for Best Actor and Supporting Actor.

The movie unexpectedly lost to 'Crash' for the Best Picture Oscar, a decision regarded as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the awards ceremony.

Several A-listers turned down 'Brokeback Mountain'

'My Own Private Idaho' director Gus Van Sant revealed that several A-listers had turned down the film before Lee, who went on to win the Best Director Oscar for it, took on the project.  

"Nobody wanted to do it," admitted Van Sant to IndieWire in 2018.

He added, "I was working on it, and I felt like we needed a really strong cast, like a famous cast. That wasn’t working out. I asked the usual suspects: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Ryan Phillippe. They all said no. Yes, all those young gentlemen (at the time) turned down the project, for various reasons.