Good actors come first — Ang Lee
ANG Lee believes that ‘good actors’ should be prioritised for film roles.
The 66-year-old director helmed the 2005 romantic drama ‘Brokeback Mountain’, which explored the relationship between male cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal), and admits that he would not feel duty bound to cast gay actors as the leads if he was making the movie now, despite the clamour for that trend now among the LGBTQ+ community.
Ang said: “I think good actors have to come first. Acting is not about who you are. I’ve cast broadcasters to play broadcasters and when the camera rolls, they don’t know what to do.”
Ang cites Ledger’s performance in the film as a case in point for the importance of acting ability.
He said of the late star: “His character was gay, but also a macho homophobe, and he portrayed that brilliantly.”
Lee has embraced futuristic technology with his movies – the Will Smith-led action thriller ‘Gemini Man’ was shot at 120 frames per second – although it hasn’t convinced critics despite the director describing it as ‘a way of observing differently’.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: “People still think 3D is tacky. To me, it’s a way of observing differently. I think it’s a new and different medium and I see something very beautiful there.”
The ‘Life of Pi’ filmmaker believes that the new technology should be used for dramatic purposes.
Ang said: “To study faces; that’s the best. Nothing is more complicated or pleasurable for us to read, because we’re reading ourselves.” He also revealed that he is surprised that other directors are yet to adopt a similar approach.