Hathaway starred alongside Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Ang Lee's drama "Brokeback Mountain" (2005). The film depicts the emotional and sexual relationship between two married men, Ennis (Ledger) and Jack (Gyllenhaal); Hathaway played Jack's wife. She was originally sent the script with the role of Alma, Ennis' wife, but decided to audition for Lureen once she read the screenplay. During her audition, Hathaway lied to Lee about her knowledge of horse riding so he would cast her, but she did subsequently take lessons. The film received positive reviews from critics and several Academy Award nominations. Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" believed that Hathaway "excels at showing Lureen's journey from cutie-pie to hard case", and Todd McCarthy of "Variety" said she "provides an entertaining contrast in wifely disappointment". Hathaway later stated that the content of the film was more important than its award count and that making it made her more aware of the kind of stories she wanted to tell as an actress. At that point, she realized that she wanted to play roles to move her audiences or otherwise entertain them so much that they forget about their own lives.