Jake Gyllenhaal began, Gyllenhaal praised his encouraging direction of the actors and sensitive approach to the material. At the Directors Guild of America Awards on January 28, 2006, Gyllenhaal also praised Lee for "his humbleness and his respect for everyone around him". When asked about his kissing scenes with Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain", Gyllenhaal said, "As an actor, I think we need to embrace the times we feel most uncomfortable." When asked about the more intimate scenes with Ledger, Gyllenhaal likened them to "doing a sex scene with a woman I'm not particularly attracted to". Following the release of "Brokeback Mountain",
Jake Gyllenhaal rumors circulated regarding the actor's sexual orientation. When asked about such gossip during an interview, Gyllenhaal said: Gyllenhaal narrated the 2005 short animated film "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers", based on Mordicai Gerstein's book of the same name about Philippe Petit's famous stunt. In January 2007, as host of "Saturday Night Live", he put on a sparkly evening dress and sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from the musical "Dreamgirls" for his opening monologue, dedicating the song to his "unique fan base... the fans of "Brokeback"". In 2007, Gyllenhaal starred in David Fincher's mystery thriller