Jake Gyllenhaal Flip cameraman, and Jake's 'incredible desire to do comedies'

We've been given our last glimpse of Jake Gyllenhaal in Colorado from race day. Not only was Jake there to comfort the suffering and wounded in the Aid Station, he was also there at the beginning to wave people off with his Flip. Running blogger Brendon Fuller who has kept us well informed throughout while still managing to run in the killer event himself reminisces: 'Actor Jake Gyllenhaal was standing in front of me on the start line with his Flip camera shooting some video. Another crew was over further with some big lights. I gave Jake the head nod…what’s up. He responded.' One has to wonder if this other crew was connected with Jake, meaning some serious pre-movie research.


The obvious thing to note from this observation is that Jake must have been so impressed by my handling of my own Flip at the Prince of Persia premiere in London that he rushed out to buy his own.

Jake's fondness for photography is well known and he has been captured on camera several times while taking his own photos. He has also commented on how he videoed Swofford and Robert Graysmith in preparation for his portrayal of them on film and Jake appeared to have a mobile film studio in the boot of his car. Jake's 21st birthday present from his mother was an old Polaroid camera. I did a full post on this some time ago and you can read it here.


From Donnie to Dastan

In another Prince of Persia interview, which I'm only now getting around to posting, Jake spoke about how it shouldn't be a surprise to audiences and critics that he took on Dastan - Donnie Darko should have been a clue. Ten years ago 'maybe I would have assumed that it wasn't unreasonable [to play Dastan]. After all, back then we'd made Donnie Darko, a very promising movie that everyone had seen and had loved.'


Was it a curse or a blessing that Jake had been commected with more dramatic films? 'No, I associate so many wonderful experiences with Donnie Darko that I would never say that the film is a curse for me. If I should complain, it would be at a higher level, then it would be a complaint to the producers... Because often they don't have imagination. They would often blindly hire me for dramatic films, without asking me what I'd like to do instead.'


Had Jake been waiting all this time for Prince of Persia? 'Not specifically for that. But for something that reminded me of this little eight-year Jake, who saw himself as being Indiana Jones and who even then dreamed of acting in such a film.'


So Jake didn't have any concerns at being hired for a blockbuster? 'Not at all! This was the fulfillment of a child's dream. I could let off steam, I was on a giant playground for months, with great people around me to play with, like Gemma Arterton, Sir Ben Kingsley. So why should I hesitate?'


Because Mike Leigh and Lars von Trier might have seen Jake at the beginning of the decade and now said that he does too many commercial films? 'I don't think that masters in their field would every say such a thing. If they have a desire to work with you then it shouldn't matter what you've done recently. I once had a phase in my twenties when I took everything to do with my job too seriously. That was anything but healthy. No, I don't feel that this wild ride will mess up my future.'


'This is a film for all eight year olds in the world who still haven't forgotten how to dream!' And for the older ones, and the girls in particular? 'I had exactly six months to prepare myself for the role. What we see on the screen, is exactly what's possible if you torture your body for six months. But, when it comes to the outside; yes, I'm in good shape. But it disappears again. It's this form of vanity, that we all have, and noone can explain it. Do I find it good,what I look like now? Of course! Do I forget about who I am deep in my heart? No way!'


And on the media's headlines 'Jake is hot!' 'I make sure that this wave doesn't carry me along and I laugh about all the things people come up and say to me about myself. The most important thing in this industry is to keep a certain distance. And I've trained myself long and hard to keep this distance.'


What could happen in the next few years? 'I have an incredible desire to do comedies... Now I've done a wacky comedy starring Anne Hathaway. Then there are other offers in that direction. And maybe at some time Mike Leigh and I could make a good comedy together. That would be great!' More here (and all faults here are mine not Jake's).


Includes pictures from IHJ.