New Jake Gyllenhaal video interviews, more from Natalie and Tobey, and Source Code to start in March?

Remember that E! video of Jake Gyllenhaal talking to Ben Lyon? The one where Jake owned up to dating Jim Sheridan ('it was awkward')? Well, today, thanks to IHJ's Stephanie, we have the whole interview, all five minutes of it. There is plenty here that's new.



What struck me is the contrast to Jake's Rendition publicity days - that was very serious, intense, as befitting the film's subject matter perhaps. But now, when Jake is asked why he's done such a powerful movie like Brothers, his response is 'Do we have to be so serious?'. This Jake wants to have some fun. But first he has to get 'the serious' out of the way. 'I definitely gravitate towards things where I feel like I can open up - where I can be somewhat honest, as honest as is possible, and this happened to be one of those things. But most of all I wanted to work with Jim Sheridan. He's incredible.'


On getting into shape for the role (and one can look back and remember that Jake was possibly at his most bulky during this time), Jake describes visiting jails and 'I decided to put on a bit more weight because, to be honest, for someone like me to survive in that type of environment, I'd have to be able to defend myself! So, in order for that reality to be translated, I started to put on quite a bit of weight.'


On the appeal of the very different Prince of Persia (Jake's version of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man or Natalie Portman's Thor): 'I've loved these movies since I was a little kid, I love them now. I'm creating a larger than life character. It was great fun, challenging but I'm an actor so I don't really know if we can necessarily say it was challenging. I would say that it was great fun.'

There are two other clips - in the first Jake talks about his friendship with Maroon 5's Adam Levine.



In the other, well there's not much at all, except that Jake talks about what he's learned from having Atticus. That there are other things more important than acting, 'like eating and smelling people's butts'. Oh yes, and Jake 'can cook, clean and I'm not so bad in...'.



The buzz for Brothers builds with just a day to go before North American audiences get their first look. Here are just a few little snippets:

Jim Sheridan told one reporter that, although he'll be avoiding the awards hoopla, 'he admits that awards shows such as the Oscars and Golden Globes play a vital role in keeping the European and independent movie sectors afloat. "The great thing about the awards is that they can help -- and this is especially true of European movies -- to live and survive," Sheridan said.'


Natalie Portman was asked by USA Today whether Tobey or Jake was the better kisser: 'she answered: "I'll be murdered if I say that. I'm probably the source of envy for getting to kiss both of those boys. It's hard to be me."' Although possibly not as hard as it is not to be her in a Kissing Jake Gyllenhaal situation.

Salon: 'Gyllenhaal is superb at channeling his confused feelings into physical awkwardness. He shows up at the family's house one morning, after a particularly unsettling episode, carrying construction materials for her kitchen. "I brought you some moulding," he mutters, and sure enough, there it is, coiled into stiff loops that keep threatening to spring out of his arms.'


In the LA Times, we get to hear a little more about Jim and his big fan Bono. Sheridan also tells us what it was like filming in New Mexico: 'The war scenes were filmed in the hard shadows and craggy pits of the New Mexico desert. "It's like you're in a prehistoric place, a place that once existed and teemed with life," Sheridan said. "If you stood there in the past the life would be swimming past your face but now it's fossilized. It brings up these emotions that are primitive and, I suppose, have to be kept below the surface."'


And about the actors: 'Sheridan was impressed with the discipline of Maguire, the polish of Portman and, perhaps most of all, the easy authenticity of Gyllenhaal, whose somewhat scattered on-set demeanor is a search for clues, not a symptom of cluelessness. "Jake is very good at that, searching for something in a scene," Sheridan said. With a chuckle he added: "It's not that he doesn't know his lines. He's always looking for something in the scene. It makes it feel real."'


In Now Toronto: '“Tobey’s very controlling,” [Jim Sheridan] recalls. “You go close on him and he’s very complex and you can see how he’s thinking about everything. But he’s like a poker player rather than like a star with a huge intensity. Jake’s more like a charismatic actor. He likes to be the centre of attention, which for a while drove me mad, because I want to be the centre of attention. It took me a few weeks to get used to him. But he knows how to stay real. He acts how he behaves in real life. He’s interested in everything that’s going on around him. That leaves a powerhouse kind of person that you want behind your back in a war.”'


'Taking on the inevitable criticism that Natalie Portman is too beautiful as an army wife, Sheridan describes going to Camp Pendleton to talk with military families. “I have to tell you, I met some really beautiful women who are married to soldiers. Women like warriors, you know.” And does he consider himself a kind of warrior? “Oh yes,” he replies. “I’m a warrior who wants to get rid of guns.”'


Doug Liman has been talking to the Ninjas again and affirming that he does indeed want Jake's Moon project to be his next movie and that work is well underway with the script. However, Jake's next project may well be Duncan Jones' Source Code. In a story reporting that the UK distributor has bought the rights to the film, Variety informs us that filming is due to begin in March. This may give Doug and his team the time he needs to make the moon project a reality - and even named.


A reminder of yesterday's radio interview - far too good for anyone to miss, or not listen to at least a dozen times.

Includes pictures from the marvellous EpixHD. Many thanks to IHJ for the vids!