"Brokeback" in Brief

Ang Lee was Charlie Rose's guest recently to talk about directing his latest film "Brokeback Mountain."

• In the interview, Lee says he didn't discuss the film's controversial subject matter with actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. "My job was to downplay it," said Lee, who explained that the initial sex scene between the two men took 13 takes. (He chose take No. 7 for the film.)

• Lee said he chose the project as an antidote to his not-so-successful previous project, "Hulk." (He added that he'd prefer not to do any big-budget blockbuster-type flicks like that one ever again.)

• Before shooting this "post-Western" as he calls it, Lee accompanied author Annie Proulx (who wrote the short story this film is based on) on a tour of Wyoming. "She wanted to make sure that spirit was captured," explained the director. "I just wanted to do justice to this brilliant piece of writing. It's a great American love story."

• Lee told Rose that casting Ledger was an "educated guess."

• The Taiwanese-born director described the anticipation for this movie as a burden. "When people gear up to see a movie, that makes me nervous," he said. "In the end, I just hope this movie gets a fair shot."

Incidentally, Rose also recently interviewed Stephen Gaghan, the screenwriter for Syriana. The stories behind his research into this movie were utterly fascinating. If you happen to see him on any other programs, he's definitely worth listening to. -- Amy