Jake Gyllenhaal - the 'neat freak' who knows when not to be alone

Yesterday it was the turn of the Dutch media, today the spotlight moves to Germany and to two interviews with Jake Gyllenhaal. Both interviews were conducted in the idyllic surroundings of the Hotel du Cap in Antibes but they couldn't be more different from each other in tone and content and demonstrate perfectly what happens when Jake is faced with a good, informed interviewer and how his responses differ when faced with - how do I put this? - an idiot. Let's start with the good - and it's very good.


German Vanity Fair

Jake is today featured in the German online Vanity Fair. Jake meakes it clear that the interview is to be solely concerned with Zodiac but, as ever, when given the opportunity to be open about himself, he carefully releases little glimpses - the young man teased by his elder sister for being a "neat freak", who enjoys his own company but needs relationships. At this stage, I'm going to ask for your forbearance and kindness because any translations are the product of my poorly used and rusty German. As a result, please don't blame eloquent Jake for any clumsiness; blame instead the British education system.

The Vanity Fair interviewer, and who can blame him, appears captivated by Jake's blue eyes, although jetlagged, and his carefully disarranged hair. Jake's in a perfect setting, in a hotel which has been called the most discreet in the world and, apparently, only recently began to accept credit cards. Jake sits in a pavilion with a view of the sea and agrees with his interviewer that the setting is unbelievably beautful and he has found some time to enjoy his surroundings: "This morning I went jogging. It was fantastic. I don't understand at all why hotels like these have fitness rooms with running machines."


The interviewer remarks that it seems strange to be discussing serial murder in this idyllic setting, but Jake responds "Why not?". When asked what it was that drew him to the Zodiac project, Jake replies that he was less interested in the murders than in the "abstract fear around them. It's about this paranoia that becomes the obsession. The concept of the existence of an evil one, a monster, that could jump out at night from around the next corner or from the rear seat of your car. It reflects our time... Today's America is obsessed with finding the 'bad'... David Fincher is one of the few directors around who holds a mirror up to Americans."

Jake is asked whether he has an obsessive side himself: "Didn't we want to talk about the film? My sister Maggie would say I am a 'neat freak' because I like to have things tidy. However, I don't believe I'm obsessed by it. I would say instead that I'm tidy and clean through a passion - that's better. I consider obsession to be dangerous." When asked for an example, Jake replies "Take jealousy. Jealousy is better than envy. If I'm jealous of someone, because they have something I would also want, that's motivating. Envy is darker and more destructive."


Graysmith doesn't even try to escape his isolation - A part of me hated that

Finally, Robert Graysmith's character is compared to those other 'lonely men' that have occupied Jake's career, Jack Twist and Swofford. The interviewer suggests that Graysmith is even more isolated. Jake agrees "For that exact reason, I didn't want to accept the role at first. I didn't accept my character. He doesn't even try to escape his isolation. A part of me hated that. I've never had such a feeling. Jack in Brokeback Mountain or Swofford in Jarhead at least try to develop relationships with others. The character in Zodiac simply loves to be lonely. Don't get me wrong - there are times when I'm glad to be alone. My success has permitted me over the last few years to spend more time just with myself. That's great, but this character in Zodiac went way beyond what is normal."


And now for the bad - Jetzt

By stark contrast, in Jetzt Jake was faced with an unsympathetic interviewer with little interest in Zodiac and even less in Jake. This interviewer's tactic was to shoot off one-liners, normally falling way short of the mark, and then ridiculing Jake's answers or dismissing them as biased because they were too 'American' or too 'friendly'. But not to fear - Jake gave better than he got. I want to thank my DC friend for allowing me to quote from her translation.

After reminding Jake of all the roles he didn't get, such as Moulin Rouge, Spiderman, Batman Begins and Superman Returns, Jake gets the point: "Again, yes, I get you! But what can I do? I love this job. I can't just say f**k it, I quit. And we did have Brokeback Mountain." "The gay drama that made you famous." Jake adds: "And before that Donnie Darko". At this point, the interview shows the extent of his research, "At first nobody wanted to see that horror movie, but eventually it did find a fanbase." "There you go", says Jake, "it's a movie with stamina".


The interviewer then turns his attention to Lance Armstrong, a figure that he clearly has problems with. Jake puts the record straight yet again that he's not playing Lance in the forthcoming movie, but Matt Damon is instead. "The rumour started because Lance and I are friends". When asked about Lance, Jake praises his friend "But what has impressed me most about him is what he has done for people." "What is it that Lance Armstrong has done for people?" You can almost hear the pause and the sharp intake of breath: "He's motivated them! Thanks to him millions of people have started to think about themselves and tried to find out what's inside them." The interviewer dismisses this as "a rather American answer" and says Lance couldn't have achieved his success without doping.

The interviewer asks Jake in what situations he shows stamina the most: "I'm sorry, another American answer. I'm really not a very disciplined person. I tend to be inconsistent, chaotic. Only as an actor do I have extreme stamina, do I manage to work on a role very precisely.... For one thing, I'm getting better at maintaining relationships. Many forget these when they become successful."


"You can't always expect people to stay the same. I'll tell you something. My parents have been married thirty years. They had a modest celebration for their silver wedding anniversary. On that occasion my cousin asked my dad: Wow, what's it like to be married to the same woman for 25 years? My dad answered: she isn't the same woman!... People change. That's exciting and that's why I don't like it when movies have a happy ending. The excitement doesn't start until the man and woman have found each other!"

When asked who he admires, Jake says Jacques Pépin, the "cook, who also writes books. He has a very unique understanding of food. You should write about him sometime" and spells his name out for the interviewer.

Jake is then asked about dealing with the paparazzi: "I do my best to look at it pragmatically: I have chosen this way of life, so I have to deal with the shit that comes with it. It's basically like having a garden... Imagine you have a garden. There are tomatoes and lettuce and beautiful flowers, the really nice things, but there are also worms and all sorts of insects that are disgusting. But they do have a function, like eating vermin." "And what function do paparazzi have?" "To be honest I still have to find out. They are really more like vermin."


The interviewer seals his fate by pointing out that Jake hasn't displayed much stamina in his private life: "You experiment a lot". Jake stays calm, "Oh, 'experimenting' is a nice euphemism. I'll call it that from now on!" When asked if he should be taking it easier with all these 'unknown beauties', Jake responds "I guess so. But I am 26 years old, there's time. And there's a lot for me to learn in that respect." "Like what?" "To apply sun screen regularly" "Because you..." "Exactly. Dry skin. OK, are we finished here? Then I should start looking for that sun screen."

Bravo Jake.

Pictures from IHJ.