The thinking woman's action hero Jake Gyllenhaal - making destiny a reality

I've started this evening's post about twenty times and each time I've deleted it because, to be honest, this is a rare day. There are so many good interviews - both serious and fun - with Jake Gyllenhaal today that I hardly know where to begin. This is a good day.


But grabbing the bull by the horns, in a manner of speaking, I may as well start with Jake's adamant declaration that he does not wear a loincloth in Prince of Persia, he wears pants. I've gotta say that in Britain pants don't provide a lot more coverage than a loincloth and may attract even more looks than a 'man's girdle'. And those aren't buckles on those badass boots either, by the way - oh no, they're wraps.



Next we have MTV where Jake rightly declares, and I believe speaks for many of us in doing so, that he is a thinking woman's action hero. This is despite Mike Newell's assertion about Jake: '"He's got a sort of cheeky, devil-may-care light in his eye, and at the same time, he has a sensitivity, delicacy and thinness of skin," the Brit director explained. "He is glorious-looking, but you wanted more than that. You wanted women to be interested in him not just as a piece of eye candy."' Fortunately, women are multi-taskers and therefore we can appreciate, and be interested in, Jake's many facets all at the same time. You can ogle at Jake in the video below and also enjoy him taking the piss out of Mike Newell with a rather attractive Anglofornian accent.

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ComingSoon has published its interviews with the Prince of Persia cast and I have to say how much I am enjoying listening to Sir Ben Kingsley in these interviews. Here, Sir Ben talks about the double layer of acting that he has to do with Nizam - the trickery. Acting as trickery - discuss. Fascinating topic.



There are a couple of potentially very memorable interviews with 'film snob' Jake today - and here is one, from Moviefone: 'I feel like what's exciting about it is just how much fun it is. It's fun, and it has twists and turns that are totally unexpected, and this is coming from a film snob.' 'Another fun part was being so theatrical, acting-wise; it was suspending belief as far as we did with this movie, and actually trying to bring it to some kind of reality. I think making movies is fun no matter what, even if it's tough dramatically or the story-telling is darker. But it was a nice respite from serious stories.'


'[Q: When the first pictures from the set hit, everybody was buzzing about the "jacked-up Jake." Have you ever felt so objectified in your life?] [Laughs] The answer's yes. That's the nature because a picture is just a physical thing, so you can project whatever you want onto a picture. The amount of work we're doing is not necessarily there, except in physical form. I expect nothing else; people aren't going to be like, "Wow look at him, he has his shirt off, what an incredible performance, he must be giving a great performance." [Laughs] That was a natural aspect of that ... I think that's the big part of the movie. The physicality of it.'

'[Q: What was the hardest part of packing on all that weight?] There was nothing hard about it. I was paid to get in shape. [Laughs] Why is that hard? There is nothing hard about that. Most people go to work, and then they force themselves to go to the gym, and I had to go to the gym for work. The hardest thing I think was being able to get flexible, because acrobatics and stuff like that take a real flexibility. Along with being big enough to fight people and seem like you could fight people. There were a lot of times it was inhibiting because normally, if you're a gymnast, you wouldn't have huge, big arms. But there was nothing really that hard about it, it was pretty much fun.'


'[Q: Do you listen to the criticism people have when they complain about casting white people to play Persians?] No. It's funny that people have asked me that in interviews and I've been like, "... huh." I've never been asked, "Do you have a problem with someone saying you couldn't play a cowboy?" I feel like a character is a character. It's hard for anybody to say anything until they've really seen the movie. Like I said, everything is just an idea until it becomes a reality.'



The British accent: 'If my instinct had said that was a weird thing, I would have spoken up. But the first thing Jerry [Bruckheimer] said to me was, "I just want you to know, I think you're all going to have British accents." I said, "Oh, that works." Particularly because everybody in the cast is British. I think there is something about it that is more classical. When you have a proper British accent, just by its nature -- Shakespeare and classical works -- [it] always sort of sounds correct.'

'[Q: Jerry Bruckheimer movies are often criticized as over-the-top. Do you ever pay attention to the divide between critics and audiences, and how they respond to movies?] No, I don't pay attention to that. I don't mean to be punny here, but that's a critical mistake. For someone like me, it's like looking at something in playback. Since the advent of playback, you have the tendency to want to go and see if something is believable. But you'll know when something is believable, if you feel it. You don't always [feel it] as an actor, but you should be working with someone who you have faith in, who would. And I think it really frees you up. It's the same thing with any type of criticism; I think you lose a sense of yourself or a sense of the character you're playing, and I have learned -- a little harshly -- not to put my hand on that hot kettle.'


Brokeback Mountain changed lives and so 'award or no award, it doesn't matter'.

'[Q: It seems like everybody looks at "'Brokeback Mountain' vs. 'Crash'" as one of the biggest Oscar upsets. Do you ever get flustered over that, or do you feel like those events are out of your control?] The irony is we made that movie for 12 million dollars. And I know that's a lot of money, but in the world of making movies, compared to something like 'Prince of Persia,' it's very small. And it had this massive success financially [and] critically. To me -- and I really don't mean to seem like a cliché -- but I have people come up to me on the street daily who say that a movie like 'Brokeback Mountain' changed their life. Award or no award, it doesn't matter. What matters is an audience has seen it and has been moved. Yeah, I think there's a want in everybody to say, "I want to win this, or do this." But I think in the end, we won so many times with that movie, it's amazing. That experience I know will be with me for the rest of my life, in so many ways.'


And in Movieweb, Jake was asked about Sir Ben's opinion that the relationship between Dastan and Nizam is Shakespearean in many ways. 'Well I think there are definitely issues that they share. I mean the main issue is betrayal. Being loved deeply by someone, putting your trust in someone and then realizing that they are someone that you never expected. I think of those are in terms of broad strokes. I never really looked at it like that. I guess looking back on it now my take was never Shakespearian. I think Sir Ben, obviously his history is in Shakespeare so as a result that is definitely his go to. For me I looked at it like, the scenes were kind of like reading a children's book. When you read a book to a child you're like, "Then the guy jumped off the thing and THE BAD GUY CAME!" There's kind of theatricality to the way we act in the movie, which I think is in telling a storyline that is very important. I never really, nor do I think it is appropriate for me to presume that I know much about Shakespeare. I'll leave that up to Sir Ben.'


Jake also tells us a little more about Source Code and the experience of working with the hugely talented Duncan Jones: 'The story is really complicated to explain but essentially it deals with different time realities and the issue of one person getting stuck in different time continuums. Ultimately it's kind of like the way The Usual Suspects works, everything kind of comes together in this immaculately perfect way at the end that kind of blows your mind. Working with Duncan was extraordinary. I think he is the next generation of director. He is like an incredible talent and I hope to make many more movies with him because he is amazing. It is true that he is from great artistic stock but he's his own thing and was an incredible collaborator, as well an incredible leader. I can't say enough nice things about him. I feel like I'm totally kissing his ass, which I am but I loved working with him. I think he is going to make a sick, sick movie. I think we've made an incredible film.' There is much more here.


But there's more - an excellent interview with Buzzine. Definitely one to savour. Here are some extracts:

'There were a lot of movies that I read, and there were movies that I was offered that I really liked, but it was all in the characters to me. To me, the movie is great. I chose the movie because of the character. It was all about that — about the relationship between Princess Tomina and Prince Dastan, and about family. But ultimately, he was wry and did cool stuff, and always had a fun, great thing to say that wasn’t too “winky winky” at the audience, but he felt like a great character. It felt like this classic kind of character.'

'EI: You have to look at, historically, when actors have made choices. It does change the dynamic of what they’re offered after that and how they become more popular… JG: For instance, I made Brokeback Mountain, and there was all this great attention. Then you get offered all these movies, and the weird tendency is that most of the movies you get shown by your agent/manager…it’s like, “Do this one; do that one,” because that’s what the next step is. You’ve got to satisfy an audience. When I really look at what I love to do, and when I think about the puzzle of making movies, and when you’re discussing what works and what doesn’t work, or why would you do this or let me try this, it’s all about satisfying your audience. That’s how I look at it, and I have fun doing it because, if I walked over there and did this, maybe that would be great. And then they would laugh, and I felt like I wanted to do a movie that was greatly fun and satisfying.'


'EI: That was a very good choice. If you could go back, would you do it again? JG: Who’s to say? Yeah, because I usually make choices based on filmmakers and definitely story, but no matter how good the story is, if you don’t have faith in a filmmaker, it’s hard to deliver and give your heart. Ang Lee was like a no-brainer, and I can say it because I lived it, whether it’s a totally obscure movie about two sheepherders who end up falling in love in Wyoming or whether it’s a movie like this. It’s the people involved that give you the confidence to do, hopefully, your best work. That’s how I feel.'

'EI: What do you want to do after this one? Do you want to do a romantic comedy? JG: I did look at that. I’ve already done it. It’s done and it’s really good too. I just finished a movie with Anne Hathaway [Love and Other Drugs]. She and I did this movie with Ed Zwick. We did that right after I did this. We just finished a few months ago. At some point, I’m going to try a musical. I would like that, if given the opportunity, and we’ll see. We’ll just take one step at a time.'


'EI: Do you keep some goals to achieve for your career? JG: I know I’m young, but I have been doing this for enough time that I know it will just change with every moment I experience in my life. If the script comes to my door, or if I chase after something because I am moved by it or, whatever happens. I know it is a direct extension of what is happening in my life. I have made strategic moves in what I’ve done, but there’s always a feeling that it’s not coming from someplace that I believe. So, to me, my life just influences that.'

'Jerry would comment while I was working out and say, “Nope, bigger bicep, please.” And I was like, “Yes, no problem.”'



Filming in Morocco: 'We did have some things that happened. When you have thousands and thousands of people in the thousands of extras and 1,000 crew members, as any large group of people are traveling throughout the desert, something is going to happen. We had so much dehydration, it was ridiculous. It was like a soup bowl there. People were walking around with Gatorade and spraying it in people’s mouths between takes. Being from Los Angeles, I am just going to say more of the British cast members were a little bothered. They would be like, “My God, it’s so hot here. This is like LA in the summertime.” Filming in the desert, it gets hot. It’s strange because I had to have a lot of layers on, and it ended up helping me. I was in the appropriate garb for the desert, and everybody else was in their shorts and T-shirts.'


'EI: Did you ever feel like your destiny was laid in front of you? JG: You always approach every movie thinking it’s going to be a success. Just as you would say, “I am going to be an actor and I’m going to be a successful actor.” If you didn’t believe that, how could you do it? Was it predestined? You don’t know me very well, but I can go way too deep and then we would both be crying. I worked with boys in juvenile hall. The difference between what happened with their lives and what happened with my life is…I guess it makes me believe in some kind of destiny. It makes people believe in the order of things. What are the lessons we learned and why? My parents were in the movie business, so I got involved and said that I am going to do it. But you have to have something else besides that.'


Producing in the future: 'In my opinion, to watch someone like Jerry work, to be around someone like him…if you’re anybody who’s interested in anything, you say, “I love how I was just manipulated.” I admire it and I think it’s amazing, and it’s great fun as long as you are in the process and you’re not like, “Wait a second. That was…wow.” I have great respect for that. I literally did work out more because he said so. I love movies. I think with all this talk this year of all the movies that have come out, I’ve been asked those questions about how big movies are going to change because of Avatar, and I keep going back to the same thing, which is the reason Avatar is so good is because the story is good. Yes, the visuals are extraordinary and they go beyond anything we have ever seen before ever, but the story is good. It works; it moves us; people are moved. That’s why. That’s really essentially why.'



'There was one stunt my first jump, that was like a 35-foot jump, and I was really pretending I wasn’t nervous about it. I was going to be all good with it, and I was pretty terrified about it. It’s in the trailer of the movie. I run and then I basically jump, and I looked over 100 times, and I remember saying, “Screw it. I have to trust these guys and do it,” and I did it.'


'EI: When did you look at yourself in the mirror? Did you feel different? JG: Sexy. More sexy. When I have to do my accent, and particularly doing humor… Humor is so different when you have a British accent. You have to do very little, and dry humor particularly. It’s so great. And then I had exercise and I was ready to go. And that prowess — that feeling of being able to defend myself and being able to actually sort of fight. It was the most technical role I have ever done, and I learned so much from it in terms of what I brought to the movie.'

'EI: Did you feel more aggressive and more powerful as a man? JG: Because I was bigger and had more muscles? More women flirted with me when I shaved my head as a Marine than they did when I got big muscles and had long hair. There’s just something about the mystique of the military and being in war. I actually was injured more. There were just too many muscles.' What a great interview - read more here.


In interviews such as these, Jake demonstrates that Prince of Persia does not stand out on its own in his career - it is part of a process, just like each of his other films. As well as it being a challenge, in terms of physicality and scope, Jake confronted his fears and grasped the project with both hands and did everything he could to make Dastan true. Dastan has heart - a characteristic of so many of Jake's roles. And you also sense that while Jake realised he was one of many involved in the process of breathing life into Dastan, it empowered him. A valuable step in the process.


A good day! Jake is in Canada today doing shows there - good luck to him and all those who grab the chance to see him!

Many thanks to Disney and IHJ and here for the pics.