Jake Gyllenhaal opened up about changes he made to his life following death of Heath Ledger

Jake Gyllenhaal once opened up about the impact that Heath Ledger's death had on him.

The two actors starred alongside each other in Brokeback Mountain way back in 2005.

The film saw the two play repressed lovers, and was well received upon release. It even earned Gyllenhaal a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

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Sadly, Ledger would pass away in 2008 shortly after completing filming on The Dark Knight.

While being interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air, his former co-star reflected on how his passing had changed things for him.

After listening to a clip from the film, Gyllenhaal said: "It brings me back to thinking about doing that scene with Heath, and the honor it was to work with him, and the beauty of his work.

"And I miss him as a human being, and I miss working with him. And what an unfortunate thing it is that we won’t be able to see the beauty of his expression.

"He was incredibly special, and that doesn’t even come close to encapsulating who he is — who he was."

As they were both of a similar age - Gyllenhaal being born in 1980, and Ledger in 1979 - death made Gyllenhaal reflect on how he lived his life.

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He explained: "I think that’s why I like to go off and I like to try and get into worlds that will wake me up… I’m trying to be present where I am. I’m trying to have relationships that are as real as they possibly can be on a movie set [and] be close to people because I know that it’s precious.

"And I know that not only can this career end in a very short period of time and this or that can happen, but also that life is precious.

"And I think losing Heath — and being a part of a family that was something like that movie we all made together — makes you see that, makes you appreciate that and hopefully moves you away from the things that really don’t matter to the things that do."

Although the film was an awards darling upon being released, its portrayal of homosexuality was controversial.

The two received a lot of backlash, partly because they were two straight actors portraying gay characters.

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Recalling the pushback, Gyllenhaal said: "It was fascinating, particularly because I don’t think we knew what a success the movie would be, what it would become.

"It was an intimate and really scary thing for me and Heath, in particular, to dive into. It was uncomfortable for both of us in some of the scenes, and yet we both deeply believed in what the movie was saying."