One Little White Lie That Got Anne Hathaway Her Brokeback Mountain Role

If there is one thing the actor has to be, it is confident in his abilities. There's no such thing as overdoing it if it means you're going to get the role of your life.

Well, generally any role would do, depending on where you are in your career. And, sometimes you even have to be a little dishonest to prove yourself worthy.

This is exactly the situation that Anne Hathaway found herself in early in her career when she tried out and secured the role of Lureen Newsome in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, starring alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.

The movie, a neo-western, required all the actors to be familiar with horseback riding and be able to demonstrate their skills when needed.

Hathaway's character, Lureen, is even more than familiar, as she is a wealthy rodeo rider who knows her way around horses. And that one skill was all that stood between the actress and the role she wanted.

As the actress explained to Out for the 10-year special Brokeback Mountain reunion interview, she did not really hesitate and outright lied about her skills. However, she was quick to point out that her parents were to blame for the "fake it till you make it" attitude she'd been taught since childhood.

“So I knew I had to learn to ride, and I got really, really, really good. But I was given a horse on set without being told it was a verbal command horse, so I couldn't figure out how to make it ride. And I went to a rehearsal in front of 300 extras, all of whom work in rodeos, and the horse wouldn't do a damn thing I wanted it to,” the actress shared.

The good thing is that it didn't seem to interfere with the filming process. Even the most embarrassing moment, when she was thrown from the same horse in front of this large crew of professionals, did not stop the actress from trying.

As we all saw in the final cut of the movie, Hathaway was able to perfect her skills and make riding look absolutely effortless.

Source: Out