Jake: Don't jump in too fast - do the things you care about

I think I'd be disappointed if a week went by without a rumour regarding another future role for Jake Gyllenhaal and, true enough, this week's no different. This one's an unusual one and seems another take on Hollywood's yearning desire to get Jake into superhero spandex - I can see their point, but can Jake? This time it's Justice League of America, which presents almost every superhero and supervillain you can imagine in dire straits. (This story presents me with the perfect excuse to post pictures of Spandex Jake.)


Shooting by Warner Brothers is set to start in 2008 and the word is that they're after big names, and one of them is Jake. Other names linked to the colourful project - with very little evidence it seems to me - are Lawrence Fishbourne, Leo DiCaprio, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johanssen and Mel Gibson. These days, if Jake wants a role, he just has to keep an eye on the internet and see what's being offered to him.


So what does Jake look for in a role? Here's an old quote from the dim and distant days of Donnie Darko. 'The truth is most of the films that make a lot of money no one remembers, and I'm not interested in making films that no one remembers. Whether it means they hated it so much they'll never forget it, or if it means they loved it so much that they won't. I'm less interested also in how it affects a career. The advice I've been given by a lot of people is: don't jump in too fast, do the things that you care about, and see what happens then.' Reading the rest of that interview, I would like to point out to Jake that I remember the 80s very well and I never heard anyone say 'rad'. It is interesting, this suggestion that Jake, at least then, didn't judge a project for what it would mean for the development of a career.


Curiously, in an article today about Broadway, successful director Lonny Price referred to Jake's hoped for role in Ferragut North. Lonny was asked if he approved of the boy band members and Hollywood names who toy with the stage. However, Lonny does not put Jake in this group: 'Jake Gyllenhaal's a wonderful actor, and I wish him well. The only time I think the Broadway community frowns is when it's just a name to be a name, and they're not skilled and not right for the role. And then that feels kind of cheap. I think movie stars are great. The more that want to come be on Broadway, that's just swell with me.'


Ang's cautionary tale

Ang Lee's Lust, Caution premieres on the same night as Rendition in Toronto (7th September) and this week Ang discussed the film in the New York Times, making comparison with his experience of Brokeback Mountain. Ang seems to suffer during the making of his films and, for Lust, Caution, he says he feared he was going insane. This film explores a whole different side to love, its dark and suspicious side. "Brokeback is about a lost paradise, an Eden. But this one — it’s down in the cave, a scary place. It’s more like hell." But like Brokeback, once Ang had read the story, he couldn't get it out of his head. '"At first I thought there’s no way I can make it a movie,” he said. But he couldn’t stop thinking about it. “There’s a point where I feel this is my story. It becomes a mission.”'


Rufus in Oz

Ang's not the only one to look back on his involvement with Brokeback Mountain. WDW favourite Rufus Wainwright is taking his tour to Australia in early 2008 - after his return to the UK for more dates at the close of 2007 - and the Australian press asked Rufus about the stars who have closed Between My Legs. One gets a special mention: "Jake is gorgeous," Wainwright says. "My boyfriend was very nervous. But we're still together. It was all above the belt." And of singing on the Brokeback soundtrack: "It was an important film. It's always good to screw up the mainstream. I think my job is to partly to screw up the mainstream and let the mainstream screw me. It's give and take." It's good to hear that a CD and DVD of one of the NYC shows is shortly to be released - I suppose it would be too much to hope...


And finally...

Maggie was in Chicago last week for some major public scenes for The Dark Knight - which caused not a little disturbance in the city by all accounts. But next Thursday morning, Maggie (and Hilary Swank) is scheduled to attend the Miss Sixty show for New York Fashion Week. Apparently the show has claimed a 10 am slot - the early hour could be a good thing if Maggie intends to hightail it over to Toronto in time to support her fiance Peter and brother Jake on Friday night.


Includes pictures from Psychologies magazine and IHJ.