Jake Gyllenhaal - 'it's nice to make people laugh with your body' and the dangers of plastic...

In a post hindered, hampered, aggravated and itched by having to make do with dialup internet, I thought I'd take a brief look at an old interview, from way back in 2001, when Jake Gyllenhaal described his very first experience of being a stuntman - long before he had to do battle with snake-throwing, evil Viziers and their armies of sand devils, and even before a shivering Jake took on CGI nasties in a flooded, snowbound NYC.


When Jake ('a naive little boy') took on the part of Bubble Boy Jimmy... 'They made me do a lot. I'm just a naive little boy. We did this one stunt where I come in and the building is on fire. There's a huge wall of fire and the guys who did the effects did in Backdraft. I'd say, "What is that?" and they'd say "It's gasoline. It's fine." They'd spray it on my feet. "It's fine. Trust us." Everyone is getting their fire suits on and, hey, I'm in a plastic bubble. They asked me to go in and shake the door handles. I go in with "I'm gonna be a stunt man. I'm gonna do this. I've got it." I get to that wall and I'm like "Oooh this is hot!" I put my hands out and grab the handles and I look at the bubble and it starts expanding. And then it goes whoosh.. and then flat all around me and I see the steadycam guy going "Run!." They are spraying me and they cut me out of it like an embryonic sack. I don't touch plastic anymore.'


I was particularly intrigued to hear on whom Jake had based his Bubble Boy characteristics: 'I used Peter Sellers in Being There, Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump and Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Buster, with his face, in silent films, says so much. Charlie, through his movement. The running in the bubble at the beginning was all Chaplin stuff. The voice came out of watching and thinking what a child would do.'


And it's funny to hear that making out with Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl also gave Jake cause for some other concerns: 'There were love scenes. I have to pay my respects to Brad and not say anything. The love scenes are kind of explicit. He stayed away. [How scared were you?] After Fight Club and everything? Whew.'


On whether it's more difficult to do a love scene or physical comedy... 'They are both really challenging so I wanted to do both. It's nice to make out with a beautiful actress but it's nice to make people laugh with your body (with, not at).' Strange, I've never felt like that watching Jake's love scenes...



Includes pictures from IHJ.