Jake talks about Rendition - Production notes published

Hot on the heels of the release of the Rendition poster comes some more information from the publicity machine of New Line Cinema. Although there are no new pictures, what we have instead is a fascinating document, available for all to download, which gives us some more clues to the content of the film and some of the first indications from the actors themselves, including Jake Gyllenhaal, on what it was like to film Rendition and work with director Gavin Hood. I must thank Carla again for supplying the link - thank you!


So without giving away any of the plot beyond the obvious - ie, a CIA agent going through a crisis of confidence - what does Jake have to say? Gavin Hood mentions the fact that Rendition is a collection of mini-films almost, which will mean that the end result would have been a surprise to his actors as well as his audience. Gavin says: 'You have to keep everything in balance and let every storyline arc sufficiently because essentially you are making four or five short films and weaving them together. One of the challenges I found exciting was how to get the maximum emotional impact, the maximum plot and story impact in the least amount of time so that you keep your audience moving. That is a tremendous challenge from a storytelling point of view and very exciting because there is no room for fat.'


Jake adds, 'This production was unlike any other I’ve worked on. The Morocco shoot felt like its own separate movie, when in actuality it was just a small piece of a larger picture. I think when we finally see the film it will be exhilarating to see how Gavin has woven the different pieces together.'


It's confirmed that Jake's character, Douglas Freeman, is very much at the heart of Rendition. Gavin says: 'Jake had a very difficult role because Douglas in a way is the moral compass to the film. He’s an observer, much like the audience. He is the one character whose opinion on the question of rendition is ambivalent. You don’t know which way he is going to go or quite what he’s feeling as the events of the film unfold around him. Jake did a brilliant job of knowing that his role as an actor was to say and do very little, yet absorb and emotionally reflect a great deal.'


Jake comments that this role was entirely new to him: 'Douglas gets to be in the middle of the action, both emotionally and physically, with no real outlet -- and I found that kind of tension very exciting as an actor. I think many people in my generation are searching for something - their identity, who they are, what they want to do with their lives. This is where Douglas finds himself. When we first meet Douglas he has resigned himself to a sort of apathy, but he is quickly faced with a haunting reality that shakes him and forces him to face his own humanity. It makes him look into himself and find that thing he was searching for. At the end of the movie, he finds himself where he least expected it—which is ultimately tremendously rewarding for him and also for me as an actor.'


Gavin remarks that one of the fun things about the shoot is how international the cast and crew were. Jake agrees 'I think it is wonderful when you walk on the set and you have South Africans, and Moroccans, Americans and Brits. There is a real open heart here. I think that comes from Gavin Hood. I think every set Ive been on is defined by the director.'

Much of this confirms what we've heard from Jake before; the importance of the director-actor relationship and the search for meaning and truth in life. What is particular good to hear is Jake's apparent warm feeling for his role, his director and his film. We are in for a treat! Now, let's have a look at that poster again...


Includes pictures from IHJ and Cinematical.