Michelle Williams jokes about ‘Brokeback Mountain’ losing best picture Oscar: ‘What was Crash?’

Michelle Williams jokes about ‘Brokeback Mountain’ losing best picture Oscar: ‘What was Crash?’

Michelle Williams is climbing back down the mountain to 2005.

The actress, 44, reflected on the romance western “Brokeback Mountain” losing Best Picture at the 2006 Oscars to the crime thriller “Crash.”

During an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live” on Thursday, host Andy Cohen said that the project was one of his favorite movies of all time, and he was upset it lost the Academy Award.

“Brokeback Mountain” – 2005. Focus/Kobal/Shutterstock
“Crash” – 2005. Lions Gate/Kobal/Shutterstock

“I mean, what was Crash?” Williams teased back.

Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger at the Oscars. WireImage

The feature followed two men, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal), who found love despite one being married.

Cohen, 56, noted the film still stands the test of time and asked the “Dying for Sex” actress if she was aware it would make such an impact before it hit theaters.

“People were so open about it,” Williams reflected. “I just remember doing the junket. You know, you don’t really get an opportunity to see a lot of grown men cry. That was the moment that I think that we all knew it was going to be special to people.”

“Crash” featuring Matt Dillon and Thandiwe Newton. Moviestore/Shutterstock
Heath Ledger in “Brokeback Mountain.” Focus/Kobal/Shutterstock

At the 2006 Academy Awards, “Brokeback Mountain” garnered eight nominations.

Ledger was up for Best Actor, Williams was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and Gyllenhaal, 44, was up for Best Supporting Actor.

The film ended up taking home Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.

“Crash” starred Sandra Bullock, 60, Jennifer Esposito, 51, Thandiwe Newton, 52, and Matt Dillon, 61, and told the true story of a 1991 Los Angeles carjacking.

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Brokeback Mountain.” Focus/Kobal/Shutterstock

The project took home three Oscars as well: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

The set of “Brokeback Mountain” also holds a special place in Williams’ heart as it was the movie she met the late Ledger. The two shared daughter Matilda, 19, who was just 2 when her dad passed away in 2008.

“The Dark Knight” star died at age 28 of an accidental overdose.

Although Williams and Ledger split in 2007, she still looks back on filming fondly.

Members of “Crash” react after winning Best Picture. AFP via Getty Images
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain.” AP Photo

“’Brokeback Mountain’ was an unrepeatable moment in time, a very charmed time in my life,” Williams told Vogue in 2009. “I was in love. I was in a movie I was proud to be a part of and with a beautiful, brand new baby. Everything was good in that moment.” 

In 2022, Gyllenhaal also spoke candidly about that time in his life with Ledger.

“The relationship between me and Heath while we were making this movie was something that was based on a profound love for a lot of people that we knew and were raised by in our lives, a deep respect for their love and their relationship,” he told Vanity Fair.

The star added, “There were many jokes being made about the movie, or poking fun at, things like that. And [Ledger’s] consummate devotion to how serious and important the relationship between these two characters was — it showed me how devoted he was as an actor and how devoted we both were to the story and the movie.”

“Crash” director Paul Haggis holding the winning awards for the film. Getty Images
Director Ang Lee, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. WireImage

Gyllenhaal touched on one moment in particular that stuck with him all these years.

“Heath and I were at a Q&A at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles, and I remember us going to dinner while the movie was screening. And I remember us joking backstage, and I remember us coming on to the stage in a humorous mode because we were just having fun with each other,” Gyllenhaal recounted. “We sat down, the lights came up, and a man stood up — and the movie had been out for a week and a half — and he said, ‘I just want to say, this is my 11th time seeing this movie, and I can’t stop watching it, and I just want to thank you all for making it.’ And I thought, 11 times in 10 days.”

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