Jake Gyllenhaal - Don't call me good looking - appreciate me for what I do in my movies

'Even among all the beautiful people who walk around at the International Cannes Film Festival, the American actor Jake Gyllenhaal stands out from the crowd. He is undeniably sexy... Everyone: friend, enemy, man, woman and everything in between - they cannot deny his attractiveness.'


So begins an article on Jake in the Netherlands' AD newspaper, which features an entirely new interview with Jake, conducted as he sat by his beach house at the Hotel du Cap, Antibes. This interview, and another remarkable interview in the Dutch Cinema publication, are full of gems and I am grateful to Jimmy from iheartjake, who has kindly allowed me to quote from his English translations.

Appreciate me for what I do in my movies

Despite his attractiveness, which makes Jake stand out in even the most glamorous and beautiful gathering, Jake's modesty is touching and very healthy and possibly reveals a touch of insecurity common to so many actors, even those as highly regarded as Jake. "Like any other sane person, I do not want to be judged by my looks. If somebody compliments me on my looks - which I did nothing to get - it has no value for me whatsoever. I would rather deal with people who appreciate me for what I do in my movies. All those lists about Most Sexy Males on earth, that appear in magazines quite often, all disappear when a new sexy actor appears on the horizon. A good acting performance will withstand the test of time. At least, I hope."


As for the infamous trouble between Jake and his director: "As with many other rumours, in the media everything is blown out of proportion. It's true that filming the movie was killing... it has a lot of scenes wth very long dialogues, where every detail needed to be right." I can't help wondering what other rumours Jake might be referring to here.

I am someone who lives for passion

Fincher's obsession is not something Jake shares, as he has said before. "I am someone who lives for passion. It's constructive and it can create beautiful things. Obsessions usually lead to sacrifces and they usually end negatively, unless you are very talented like Fincher."

It's interesting to hear that, despite Jake's overwhelming success in Brokeback Mountain, he is not being faced with easy choices. "I wasn't offered the roles that really suit me. I've been in this business since I was 10 years old, but it didn't give me any satisfaction."


I'm very proud of Zodiac

Jake's deep concern about selecting roles that actually contribute something to our understanding of human nature - sometimes in contrast to the type of roles he is offered - is a theme of the second interview. Jake has said that David Fincher sees the 'big picture', but so does Jake. In this feature, the interviewer describes a young man, both good-natured and a good talker - who takes his choices very seriously. It also comes as a surprise to hear just how vulnerable Jake has been made to feel because of the success of Brokeback Mountain.

For this interview, Jake makes it very clear that he knows why he is in Cannes. "If I go to Cannes, I sure know what to do, don't I? Today, I'm here for interviews and I'm happy to do it. And I'm not just saying that to be polite. I'm very proud of Zodiac. I'm willing to do everything I can to make sure the movie will stay in theaters for a long time."


Brokeback Mountain - 'Joy' is the word to describe it

Jake speaks of his determined effort to avoid the young cliche highschool roles, which he was undoubtedly offered by the caseload. Instead, the young Jake was "looking for parts that go in a different direction."

Then came the Brokeback Mountain phenomenon. "Now that time has passed, I try to look back on that period. 'Joy' is the word to describe it. But after a while you have to let go of the past and focus on something new. However, a big success like Brokeback Mountain can also be very 'chaining'. It's like it has become a part of you and you can't let it go. And there's another side-effect: if someone now gives criticism, it hurts twice as bad - after hearing so much praise."

When asked about growing up in Hollywood, Jake expands on his normal pat answer - as he normally does when faced with an intelligent interviewer. "For me and Maggie, Hollywood has never been something magical. The advantage is that now, I do not tend to rush anything. I want to play in movies that add to our images, judgements and preconceptions. Movies can do that. But most of the movies are created to make people weak."


There's always fear

Quoting Saving Private Ryan as an example of how movies can change perspectives, Jake focuses on a different element of Zodiac: fear and the role of fear in the media and in life. "There's always fear. Fear to say something wrong. Fear to have an accident. Or, on a larger scale, fear of terrorism. It is possible to see Zodiac as a way that shows people how spreading fear can reduce humans to paranoid creatures. There's certainly a parallel between this and America nowadays. The chance of being killed by the Zodiac was far smaller than the chance of being hit by a tram. Still, everyone in the San Francisco area in the 60s and 70s was captured by this killer. Today, the same is happening to Muslim Fundamentalism. A fear that is being encouraged by politics."

"See what I mean with 'the power of a movie'?... An interesting movie forces you to make connections. That's what I try to find in acting. To work with people who make these kind of movies and think and work with them."

What an extraordinary young actor Jake Gyllenhaal is - one can only speculate with joy at the films that will be forthcoming for him and for us.


Pictures from IHJ. Thanks Jimmy!