As a gay man who grew up in the 90s, a movie like "Brokeback Mountain" is extremely important. It was one of the very first queer films that received so much praise and got so many accolades. I almost couldn't believe that a gay love story got this much attention in the first place.
So when I heard that "Brokeback Mountain" was nominated for a ton of Academy Awards, I just knew I had to be there and get the cast's autographs there! I've been hounding for autographs for a couple of years now and part of that was going to these sorts of events. However, at the time, the company I used to work for got bankrupt, leaving me unemployed for a couple of months. But knowing that that year's Oscars would be an important moment in LGBTQ+ history, I knew I just had to go!
With the very little savings I had, I purchased a ticket to the Oscars red carpet pre-ceremony event from a friend. As a bonus, he also got me a couple of movie posters from his connections to various movie theaters across California. Though I was now broke, I didn't care. I just had to meet the cast of "Brokeback Mountain" in person and get their autographs. Especially if they were gonna win that night!
Personally, I wasn't a fan of straight actors taking gay roles but since there were few prominent gay actors at the time, I didn't mind it then. And after all, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger were at the top of their game at that time. Gyllenhaal especially since he starred in another box office hit, "Jarhead." And for both Hollywood A-list hunks to star as gay cowboy lovers? That's just a fantasy-come-true for a lot of gays out there (me included, admittedly!), but it also gives more credence to the film.
When I finally saw them in person, I almost palpitated. Damn, those guys were handsome! I mean, they were already hot in the movie, but in real life? Lord have mercy! Not gonna lie, I still fantasize about camping with Jake Gyllenhaal to this very day. And it helps that he was just so kind and good-natured. He didn't have any qualms about signing people's stuff on the Oscars red carpet. He seemed to genuinely enjoy interacting with us. Of course, I got his autograph too. Even though I'm a femme gay, he didn't seem annoyed or disgusted with me.
Now, Heath Ledger, on the other hand, was way different. This isn't to say that he was less nice than Gyllenhaal, though he was with his wife at the time, the beautiful Michelle Williams (who also signed my posters, btw!). I don't know, there was just something about Ledger that both drew you in and kept you at bay. He had a mysterious aura that I personally can't decipher. But, nevertheless, he was nice enough to give me his autographs.
Eventually, I got Anne Hathaway's, Linda Cardellini's, and the other cast members' autographs too! Though admittedly, just getting the lead stars' were enough!
Please note: Our inventory is limited as we may have only received a few posters in total. Most of our items are obtained from film premieres, studios, and from autographed hounds such as the one in the story above.
