[Update] Jake Gyllenhaal arrives at Heathrow with a very big trunk, Jake on Duncan Jones ('I'd put my money on him') and Mike Newell

[Update] We know Jake Gyllenhaal is back in London, getting reacquainted with his old restaurants, shops and jogging spots of choice, but it's very good to see his arrival in pictures at Heathrow on 1 May. And Jake arrives complete with his and our favourite bodyguard, his own Virgin stewardess, an extremely large trunk and what looks like a new ring. Last time Jake travelled over for the Jonathan Ross show with a big trunk, the suit disappointed. I'm wondering what we'll see this week... Many thanks to IHJ for the lovely pics!






We're used to Doug Liman talking to the wise Ninjas - today they turn their attention to Jake Gyllenhaal. In a great interview with Jake, recorded by phone on the day that Source Code wrapped, the Ninjas keep their filmmaking focus, asking Jake, amongst other things, to compare what it was like working with two much-admired British directors, Mike Newell and Duncan Jones. You can read the whole interview at the Ninjas, and there is promise of more to come, but here are a couple of snippets.


'Every director than I have had the pleasure to work with has been so different in their style. So Mike Newell, just physically … they both happen to be British, but Duncan spent a lot of time growing up in the States and all over the world so he has a different sort of sensibility than Mike. Well, Mike is like six foot five, and Duncan is like five ten or something, so [laughs] that is one major difference. And in a way, their sizes mimic their styles, because Mike is very robust and dramatic in his approach and he’s like (in a gruff British voice), “Oh yes, my dear boy, it’s fantastic,” and there’s always this sort of energy to it.'


'Duncan really creates this space that is much more quiet, and I would say that there is a serenity to the way he directs, and to me it’s fascinating that the two of them could not be more different. That’s actually a really good question. They had two different beasts [to direct], you know? Mike had a movie where there are just so many elements that he had to balance, and I learned from him a really important lesson that every actor should know; he said, “You know what I look at more than the monitor?,” and I said “No, what Mike?” And he pointed to his watch. When I asked ”Really?,” he said, “You never get all the things you want as a director, and you’re always chasing time.” Any actor who is in sync with their director knows you want to try to give your director everything that they want within the day. And that’s something that I really learned with Mike. It is something that I don’t think that actors really know: how much a director is dealing with. So when I went to work with Duncan I brought that mentality with me, and it was like, “What do we need? Did we get that? OK, what do you need from me? Let’s go.”'


On testing out ideas on set: 'Yeah, you know, a majority of them have to suck for some of them to be good. I think with Duncan it was all that, all of the time, and it’s surprising because with someone who’s doing [only] his second movie, you would think that he would be holding more tightly on to the reins, but he has a surprising sense of self-confidence and sense of self. JULINA: Moon,Jones’s movie, was so tight, and so precise. JAKE: Right, I know.'


'JULINA: Sam Rockwell’s just so relaxed through the whole thing, but you’re going, “Oh my God!” and you go with it, because he’s going with it. It’s really impressive. It’s one of my favorite films, actually. JAKE: Me too. I mean, that’s Sam, because he’s so talented. But you have to create the environment, I think. I think [Duncan Jones] created the environment for it — and now, I’m his second, so you know, I can say — he is so collaborative. He’s a really special director. I believe that he’s like the next generation, you know? I’d put my money on him. [Laughs] He definitely protected his actors from all the stuff going on behind the scenes with the politics of making movies, which is so important because once you get into that sensitive space working with an actor, bringing that in can screw things up. It’s amazing to me that it’s his second movie, ’cause he’s just on point.'


Lightheaded moment: Jake mentions the Princess Bride, one of my favourite films! Unfortunately, apart from a passing reference to the Unnamed Moon project (UMP or Argonauts as Doug called it last), there was no news on the progress of that one. Be sure to read the full interview.

Pictures thanks to Disney, IMDb and IHJ.