Jake Gyllenhaal - just read those lips... Giving everybody 'a little bit of something'

Following the recent post on Jake Gyllenhaal's beautiful eyes, in which some of us can see different shades of colour, I thought today it was time to appreciate that other feature of Jake's which first attracted me to him back in 2004 - those lips and that mouth. It doesn't seem to matter what he does with it - smiles, laughs, eats, chews gum, grimaces, talks, kisses, licks it - or even what Jake does to cover it (moustache or beard) - but it always grabs hold of your eyes, set off as it is by that instantly memorable and recognisable mole above the lip.


In this favourite video, the power of one of Jake's greatest weapons in his campaign to make our hearts tremble is captured - the lick of the lips.



And there is the suggestion that it might not be purely unintentional, and we should not be surprised that Jake is aware of its impact - he's had years of watching its effect.


Susan Sarandon's appreciation for Jake's beauty is well-known, fellow Moonlight Miler Ellen Pompeo apparently loved Jake's lips - and his hair. This feature is full of little gems about why Jake is a favourite crush, as these memories from Moonlight Mile demonstrate: Jake 'blushed when praised for arranging a surprise birthday party for his driver on the set. "We just brought him a cake," he demurs. "That was all."'



'Maybe so, but in a business known for supersize egos, Gyllenhaal's small acts—like his tendency to let everyone else go through the catering line before him during the two-month shoot for Mile in Massachusetts and L. A. last year—did not go unnoticed. "Everyone had crushes on him—wardrobe, makeup, everybody," says his costar Aleksia Landeau, 27. "He's not like those actors who are like, 'Look at me!' He has a poetic soul. He lets people come to him."'



Dustin Hoffman didn't focus on Jake's eyes or lips... 'Success hasn't changed him; he's retained his own unique, personal insanity.' Brad Silberling calls Jake 'a generous soul'. I was amused to hear of Jake: "I'm slogging through David McCullough's biography of John Adams." I wonder if he finished it...


A Californian - and ferret racing

I was given a challenge today by Ruby - to fit the subject of ferret racing into this evening's post. The reason being that, when Gyllenhaalics get together, they are able to do more than simply gab about Jake, although I must admit that we discovered it is possible to gab about Jake and watch ferret racing at the same time. Sadly, my favourite ferret - as modelled here by Ruby (and its handler) - finished last because it preferred to lie on its back and have its stomach tickled.


So, just when I thought I would find no way to link Jake to this traditional sport - surely to be reinstated into the London Olympics - we discovered that the whole proceedings were taking place under the auspices of the Californian Republican flag (and an old guy panning for gold).


And while some of us have this flag on our fridges in magnet form, others go much further and turn it into a fashion statement, and none does it better than Jake Gyllenhaal. These pictures date from last summer, at another time when Jake spent much of the time away from the public eye (and California) - this year, at least, we will see the fruits of this absence in the theatres during May 2010.


But back to those lips...





Includes pictures from IHJ, Just Jared, Getty and WDW.