Jake Gyllenhaal and his amazing magical powers - on and off the screen

John Barrowman, aka Captain Jack, is a favourite of mine, not least because I first saw him on BAFTA Day 2007 when John did his bit to entertain us during that long and cold wait for a certain rather gorgeous movie star to turn up. By the sound of it, it wasn't just me who got a thrill when the announcement came that Jake Gyllenhaal had just got out of his car and was walking our way.


'John Barrowman has a soft spot for Jake Gyllenhaal. The Torchwood star would like to share an on-screen snog with the 29-year-old hunk. 'I've been pretty lucky to have kissed some fabulous women,' John, 43, admits. 'I've also kissed some of the most fabulous men but Jake Gyllenhaal is lovely - just take your clothes off, Jake!'' A classic almost poetic phrase there, I'm sure you'll agree, And, back in 2008, when Jake beat John to win AfterElton's Top 100 Hottest, Captain Jack had no complaints.


Meanwhile, commentators - largely in the US - continue to lambast Prince of Persia despite its huge success beyond those shores. With thanks to Tas for the link, you can read here an interesting feature, which lists the 36 films that have made $200 million or more internationally, with less than 30% coming from the US. PoP is listed at no. 20 and there are some great movies on this list - Schindler's List, Fifth Element and The Full Monty. Many of these films have proven themselves stayers, judging by the number of times Fifth Element is shown on UK TV...


Jake Gyllenhaal has charmed far and wide with Prince of Persia and its publicity tour. I particularly enjoyed this article from Canada which shows yet again what happens when Jake lets loose that most formidable weapon - his charm. Or, as this article puts it, his magical powers that extend far beyond the screen.


'While his character Dastan's superpowers in the mystical lands of Persia come from an ancient dagger that has the ability to turn back time, Gyllenhaal's real life magic comes from copious charisma and an ability to make even the most jaded journalists break out into thunderous laughter on command. He instantly cranks up his own brand of charm upon entering an intimate hotel room with a handful of Toronto media, teasing a pretty young reporter about her clunky radio equipment. "Wow, old school!" he says, pretending to use all of his strength to wind it up. "Can you repeat that please?" he quips in the most timid of girly voices. The 29-year-old actor has just finished making another young female scribe blush by calling her a "vision in white" during their one-on-one interview down the hall.'


'Despite the number one question from the press being "How did you get those abs?," Gyllenhaal has lost much of the bulk he put on while filming eighteen months ago and his unimposing stature is a far cry from the mega-muscle-man who appears on the film's posters. He admits to loading up on plenty of Baskin Robbins ice cream to celebrate the end of the regimented training schedule and strict diet he was forced to follow for the role, which also required him to adopt a British accent for the first time in his career. All the gruelling work clearly paid off, with Gyllenhaal calling the female frenzy "flattering," especially when a theatre full of fans at a recent Los Angeles screening chanted "take off your shirt" relentlessly.'


'Gyllenhaal recently showed "Prince of Persia" to his cousins - who range in age from six to 14 - and says their excitement reminded him of when he saw the "Indiana Jones" films for the first time as a child. "This movie was made for families to bring their kids," he says.'

'Of course, the gamers will also be front and centre in theatres, and Gyllenhaal fully expects to hear their criticism. "Video game movies have not been successfully adapted in the past and I think we have gone out of our way to interpret the video game as opposed to copy it which obviously draws criticism from the avid gamers who play the game all the time but I think it's the only way to make any movie that's based on a video game good," he says.'



'"The character I play in the movie is much more similar to me than any of the other characters I've ever played before," he explains. "I like to have a good time and not take myself too seriously."... Just before the interview is set to come to a close, a reporter throws out one final question: "Can you really do parkour??" she probes, at which point Gyllenhaal's publicist steps in to call it a wrap. "Uh, we gotta go..." he stammers nervously, never seeming to tire of playing the jokester. "We've gotta go, it's time to do parkour training!"' More here.



If you're unable to see the video embedded in the post, you can find it here. Jake, again, is in playful mode.



Includes pictures from Ruby and scans from WDW.