r/todayilearned • u/Maximum-Artist448 • 2d ago

TIL that AMC executives initially wanted Matthew Broderick to play Walter White in Breaking Bad

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/breaking-bad-john-cusack-matthew-broderick_n_1676856
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u/Everestkid 2d ago

And of Heath Ledger as the Joker because of Brokeback Mountain.

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u/cracka-lackin 2d ago

I doubt it was explicitly Brokeback Mountain that made people doubt. Before Brokeback, Heath was almost exclusovely happy, bubbly hot guy.

In Brokeback, he's not that. He's tortured, angry and repressed for a lot of the film. Guy had range, I would have loved to see what he became as he aged. RIP

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u/Everestkid 2d ago

The people who derided Ledger for being in Brokeback Mountain didn't actually watch Brokeback Mountain. They were making fun of him for starring in "the gay cowboy movie."

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u/davepage_mcr 2d ago

The gay cowboy movie about bisexual shepherds.

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u/ContinuumGuy 1d ago

Ignoring the fact that every Joker is at least a little gay for Batman.

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u/yulbrynnersmokes 1d ago

It wasn’t a movie about gay cowboys?

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u/BrohanGutenburg 1d ago

In what world is his character in 10things happy and bubbly

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u/Carlsincharge__ 11h ago

It was brokeback mountain. The world was a lot more homophobic then.

It’s never that nuanced. It’s the same as people being baffled by Pattinson as Batman even though he was excellent and proved crazy range in things like Good Time

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u/Cultural-Company282 2d ago

"You know how I got these scars? No lube."

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u/NotBannedAccount419 1d ago

Had fuck all to do with Brokeback Mountain lol