[Update] Today we have our first physical sign that Love and Other Drugs is crossing the pond. Jake Gyllenhaal is on the cover of Esquire UK for December 2010! And it will prove a favourite for all those missing Sasquatch. This could be the photoshoot that we heard mention of last month. Many thanks to Mermon for the heads up. Source. Time to head for the shops!
On with the post...
While Jake Gyllenhaal catches up with his Triumph and old friends (in this case, Busy Phillips), Ed Zwick has continued to prepare the ground ready for the big Love and Other Drugs publicity later this week. Today, Ed is talking to the LA Times about how this small budget film allowed him to get close to his actors. One can also see why the budget was so low - it appears that the vast majority of it was shot in a bed.
'"In my experience, when you're young and really into somebody, you spend a lot of time lying around in bed but not necessarily always having sex," Zwick said recently, calling from the Midwest, where he was touring a college campus with his daughter. "So we wanted authenticity — what would it really be like? How would you be lying, and how long have you been in bed, and how many times have you made love before this?"' Those were the questions Zwick explored with his actors in the two weeks leading to the 49 days of production.'
'"We didn't have a lot of time to shoot the movie — and we did it for a very reasonable price, $30 million — so we all had to be very committed to the process," he said. "It was as much talking about our lives and our relationships and men and women and sex as it was rehearsing. As a director, I do feel it's wise to try to be in a real relationship with these actors. Sometimes it's real, and sometimes it's not. But in this case, it was so real. We genuinely became close, and I think some of that is reflected in the film."'
'"When you're making these bigger movies, you are necessarily drawn away from the actors at times — whether that's because there are so many things that are mechanical or not," he said. "Here was an opportunity to divest myself of all that and only focus on the performances. It presents a whole other set of challenges too, because you don't have the opportunity of an action set piece or a big pageant-like scene — all you have is the nuance of the emotional life and story."'
Thanks to IHJ for this scan from US Weekly, which gives an insight into one of Jake's many flights across the US. Maybe the crew wanted to take advantage of Jakes culinary prowess and get him to help serve the lunch. A note to US Weekly though, I think you can lose the label.
A WDW Samhain interlude
Commercialised halloween as it exists today means very little to me but I do have a respect for the ancient history of these shores and to mark Samhain, Mr WDW and I took a ride on our Triumph to see the Rollright Stones. These so-called King's Men Stones were erected about 4,500 years ago, not too far from Oxford, and, tucked away as they are, have a remarkable atmosphere. Very often, you will be the only visitor.
If Jake Gyllenhaal out on his Bonneville Triumph doesn't deserve an Empergency Post, I don't know what does. There are very few occasions when Jake's face is not a necessity for a photograph and this is definitely one of them. However, there is another part of Jake we shouldn't be seeing in these photos and that's his hands - gloves, Jake, please! These photos also explain the mysterious stain that we noted on Jake's then new shoes back at the beginning of June. It's now clear that the stain is that notorious oil leak stain that is associated with some British bikes. It also shows that Jake may have had the bike longer than we thought. [If there's a role going in Sherlock Holmes, I'm up for it.] Please note that I've turned the volume down on this Emergency Post due to squeeeing decibels. It is a breakfast Emergency Post after all.
Many thanks to IHJ for these gorgeous pics - there are more there.
Jake Gyllenhaal flew back into LAX yesterday and demonstrated yet again his considerable skills as a multi-tasker. This time Jake combines looking hot with chatting and smiling on the phone (no doubt booking a restaurant for that evening) while getting someone else to pull his luggage. With the open button, the coordinated shirt and jeans, the cool sunglasses, the big smile, the perfect length of shadow, this arrival was quite an entrance. Jake looks like he's raring to get the Love and Other Drugs publicity train out of the station.
With press lined up for later in the week and Love and Other Drugs opening the AFI Fest on 4 November, it's going to be quite a week. And, if you're rolling in it, you can bid for tickets to the event here.
As Love and Other Drugs gets ever closer, we have the news that Anne Hathaway will be hosting SNL on 20 November. And, rather appropriately, the musical guest will be Florence and the Machine, one of the bands that Jake Gyllenhaal has mentioned as one he's interested in. I think it's about time that Jake hosted another show, or at least had those talents of his made use of somewhere on the box. Thanks to Susan for this very enjoyable reminder of a show almost four years ago. It's hard to believe that Jake's SNL was in January 2007!
One has to wonder if Jake will make some kind of appearance during the show. Only four days before the release of the film, there must be a chance of that.
This week the press screenings for Love and Other Drugs have continued and, on the whole, the reactions have been very favourable for the 'sexiest' movie of the year. In this review, we hear 'Love and Other Drugs started off really really funny, got really really serious, and then ended as a typical romantic comedy. It’s a quirky love story surrounded by drugs…pharmaceutical drugs that is. You follow Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal), a drug rep for Pfizer whose job it is to get doctors to prescribe their drugs to patients. The beginning of the movie is hilarious and will have you rolling in the aisles. Jamie is trained by Bruce Jackson (Oliver Platt) who tells him, “you and your swinging dick will be my winning ticket.” He’s a playboy hotshot ready to make money no matter what it takes!'
'Then he meets her. Jamie meets Maggie Murdock who is beautifully played by Anne Hathaway. At first, they’re a match made in heaven. Jamie is a dick who just wants sex and Maggie doesn’t want to be in a relationship and get attached…she just wants sex too. So they have sex! And lots of it. But this is a romantic comedy so you know they fall in love and all that stuff happens but it’s still in a humorous way…until Maggie’s disease becomes more evident. She has early stage Parkinson’s and the movie takes a serious look at what the disease does to a person and everyone around them. It hits you like a ton of bricks and the movie almost slows to a halt but does deliver its message.'
I love this description - that moment when everything appears to be going along so well as it should, even better than it should, and then suddenly the floor is pulled from under one's feet and you freefall, with that feeling in the stomach that rips you in half. I'm so excited to see Love and Other Drugs.
When Jake Gyllenhaal presented Gwyneth Paltrow with her Elle Hollywood Women tribute award the other week he commented that her role in Ironman 2 as Pepper Potts is the 'best character with the stupidest name' since Yogi Bear and Alotta Fagina. I have to agree, Yogi is a ridiculous name for a bear. Thanks to Mermon for the heads up!
I appreciate Gwyneth's hand motions as she describes the hilarious and gorgeous Jake Gyllenhaal.
Love and Other Drugs heats up
It looks like the publicity for Love and Other Drugs is heating up. In addition to this week's press screenings, next week the press conferences begin. Thanks to Monica for the link.
Stand up to Cancer
This is about US sports so over to the experts: 'As millions of baseball fans tune in to watch the American League’s Texas Rangers and National League’s San Francisco Giants compete in the first game of the World Series on Wednesday, October 27th on FOX, MLB will once again bring the fight against cancer to the forefront and help raise funds for groundbreaking “translational” research designed to bring new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. During the seventh-inning stretch of Game One of the World Series, a moving PSA featuring Academy Award nominated actor, Jake Gyllenhaal will play on the jumbo screens for the crowd, as well as for millions at home watching FOX. Fans in the stadium will then be asked to stand in unison as sportscaster Joe Buck rallies the crowd — and the viewing audience — via an on-air call-to-action to “launch stars” in tribute to those diagnosed with cancer.'
And finally...
There are reports that Jake Gyllenhaal's fruit thing is not diminishing. This weekend, there are reports that Jake and Taylor headed to the woods for a bushel of apples. Is this a good time to point out that there's a veritable cornucopia of autumnal fruit around here, ripe for the picking?
Thanks to IHJ for keeping an eye on Jake and his apples.
Love and Other Drugs continues to gather a garland of good reviews. For a fan of Jake Gyllenhaal, this is not to be taken lightly. Over the last few years, we've had to listen to various divided and mixed opinions on films such as Rendition, Brothers and Prince of Persia, although each has also had its advocates. Love and Other Drugs has, on the whole, had a good response from American critics, although I look forward to the time when some British critics get their mince pies on it. Today it's the turn of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
Variety - insert pause for some significant eye rolling - has hidden its review behind its more-irritating-than-tomatoes-in-a-sandwich registering/pay wall. Neverthless, you can still take a peek and hear 'Their ribald pillow talk lends the film a verbal tartness that's complemented visually by the abundant nudity, though tasteful use of shadows and strategic camera placement still leave plenty to the imagination.'
'As Jamie, the ideally cast Gyllenhaal turns on the charm full force, his energetic puppy-dog demeanor all but daring the viewer not to buy whatever he's selling.'
The review doesn't give the film 10 out of 10, it criticises the soundtrack for being too crammed, too in your face, and calls the film a 'jagged little pill' that goes down too smoothly. Nevertheless, it doesn't half make you want to see it. The full review here... if you can see it.
The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as having ADD and sums it up: 'Gyllenhaal and Hathaway are terrific as two sarcastic, sexually hungry young people eager to hop into bed, or go up against the nearest wall for a knee-trembler. Sappy romance doesn't suit either of their characters so something goes a little limp when they acknowledge their love. Where['s] a Viagra salesman when you need him? The artist's loft, coffee house, restaurants, late night cafes, medical offices and a sleek suburban home to a "pajama party" where the film takes place are all eye grabbers and Steven Fierberg's cinematography does justice to these visually arresting locations. Much is going on in nearly every scene. Even a running gag about a homeless man who digs drug samples out of a dumpster where Jamie throws his rival's products is damn funny. In the end, this is a smart movie that could have been smarter. The script feels like it was a draft or so away from total clarity and focus. But the energy of the cast and a dive into an unfamiliar world make the movie rather addictive.'
Kristopher Tapley is less complimentary for In Contention but there is a nod to the lead actor: 'Jake Gyllenhaal offers potentially the film’s best performance, but it is owed so much to charisma rather than what’s on the page.'
There is another review here, with thanks to Monica for the heads up. And thanks to Jen for the Playlist review.
Thanks to Hui for finding another blogger's account from the CMJ Q&A the other night in NYC. You can read that here. It all sounds like quite an intimate gathering and the verdict here on Jake and Anne is - and it has a real ring to it - 'naked perfection'.
And finally...
It's impossible to ignore the buzz around the net concerning certain photos of two people having a stroll in NYC last weekend. I thank everyone here for continuing to focus on what has driven WDW for almost the last four years - the movies, and very soon a new one will be with us, with all its naked perfection. The talk shows await...
Although we had those wonderful pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal and Ed Zwick posing outside the theatre for the CMJ screening last week, there was very little from inside. But thanks to Queenie Darleen, who sat just across from Jake and yet had a steady hand for photographs, we have an account with photos. Many thanks to Queenie for permission to post the very fine picture below. You can read the full account and see more photos at Queenie's site.
Here's Queenie's view of the film: 'Love and Other Drugs is not a typical romantic comedy, in fact, Jake and Ed said they like to call it an Emotional Comedy because there’s drama, and it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. There’s a lot of funny scenes but there’s sad ones as well— I cried. There’s a lot of nudity and the role of women is very different.' Thank you very much for sharing, Queenie!
Hysteria
Maggie Gyllenhaal's new project continues to grow with some new names added. This is another example of a film in which Maggie (and Jake) appear as the sole American amongst a cast of well-established British actors. Gemma Jones, for example, is an actress I spent my Saturday evenings watching as a small child. She was the Duchess of Duke Street long before she was relegated to Harry Potter's nurse.
[Update] In these two additional MTV videos Jake Gyllenhaal talks about his connection to his character Jamie Randall and reveals his thoughts about that little blue pill and the 90s.
The other day, before the NYU Q&A for Love and Other Drugs, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Ed Zwick took part in an interview with MTV. The videos of that are now available and you can hear Annie reveal that Ed had actually wanted Justin Bieber for the role of Maggie... It also appears Jake and Annie had a bodypart checklist as part of the pre-production process of determining how much they would led Ed shoot. It sounds like most boxes got a tick...
After this morning's Emergency Post, it's now time for the Debriefing. So, as Captain Picard would say 'Into my Ready Room, Number One'... Where was I? Oh yes, Jake Gyllenhaal is clearly doing his bit for the Q&A. Fortunately we can tell them apart by beard length. Last night, Anne Hathaway took a break from talking about getting naked with Jake, leaving it to Jake and Ed Zwick. Jake's explanation for Annie's absence: “Annie wanted to say that she really wanted to be here but had a previous engagement she couldn’t get out of,” stated Jake Gyllenhaal regarding his notably absent costar Anne Hathaway. “She actually doesn’t care about you [guys]”.
More disturbing is the confirmation that Love and Other Drugs does indeed feature the Macarena. Rumours of this ripped through the fandom during the filming, as extras blogged and tweeted about watching Jake perform this forbidden 'dance'. You can read a full account of this from a post here dating to last October. The post also features an incredibly useful and still relevant demo video of the Macarena, which I advise you to watch and then forget.
Back to the account: '“I never thought there’d be a time I’d use the Macarena,” admitted the film’s director. “The 90s were an odd moment in time, the mid 90s as well, it wasn’t our finest moment,” lamented Ed. He continued, “We were a little hesitant to [use music] too much,” stating that a lot of movies nowadays rely on the music to do the job of the actors. The trick is finding a balance between the two because as Zwick stated, “we had music in movies long before we had talking,” so it goes hand in hand with filmmaking.'
'“I grew up watching [Zwick’s] work,” said Jake... '“I’m the type of actor that needs to put it into motion. I can’t just sit in a room by myself. I need to be able to fuck it up.” He went as far as sitting in on auditions, while the rest of the film was being casted, and going over the scenes with the different actors. The hard work paid off, the actor gives a moving performance which he credits all to Zwick. “Jake is being modest…I didn’t make him do that stuff, it was him. I just gave him the tools to bring it out,” said Zwick.'
Nudity: '“Fear is the killer of creativity,” said Gyllenhaal regarding mentally blocking out the fact that audiences will be seeing their naked bodies. “You have to block that out otherwise you’ll never get anything done,” he said... “We decided last night that we’re not calling this film a romantic comedy,” said Gyllenhaal. “We’re gonna call it an emotional comedy because that’s what it is, it’s life.”' Source.
Similar discussions came up at the previous Q&A at NYU. I know that there was difficulty for some with the sound from the videos and so I've put together some extracts.
Anne: 'In the first movie we shared a life together without sharing a life together... it's a shorter amount of time that we spent together as our characters in Brokeback Mountain but we go a LOT further and we grow into love for each other. Although! I've come to realise that if you put me in a room with Jake Gyllenhaal in a room and you film it my bra has a natural eject button!'
Jake: 'On a serious note I think we inherently as a result of having been even literally naked together - or at least Annie was - in the first movie we did, we were comfortable with each other and it led us into this.' But Ed says he 'went after them independently and it was just a happy accident that they shared that particular experience'.
Jake on jigging scripts again: 'I've worked with so many people where you give an idea and the idea is immediately shot down either in some weird passive aggressive way or in an aggressive way, we're so used to that as actors... it was amazing to watch Oliver Platt and Hank Azaria very timidly ask Ed... 'I was just wondering if...' this is like Hank Azaria... 'if there's a period, if you put a period at the...' And I was like 'Take it out! Take it out!'. 'Oh, in that case, I was just wondering there's a line where I don't like..' He said 'Take it out, if it doesn't work for you take it out, what do you think? What line would work for you?' And he's like...'Well I was thinking about this'... and he said 'That's great! That's great!...' And he was like 'Really?' and all the actors just like eased up. There was a sense of - whether it was a manipulation - all great directors can be wonderful manipulators.'
Anne: 'We want names!'
Jake: 'Whatever it was it worked. That is the wonder of working with someone who has I think, again I think we may be being humble, he's being humble, when I think of the lead actors he's worked with, it was like, I feel like I'm in absurd company. Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Craig, leib Schreiber and... it's an incredibl... So when you work with someone like that you think there's an immediate intimidation factor and his intimidation comes to anyone who doesn't genuinely love the creative process. I've experienced that even in my auditions. I auditioned with almost every actor who came in and I saw when an actor wasn't prepared or an actor felt like he wasn't that interested, Ed wasn't ok with that. It was very important to be gracious and kind to the creative process because it's something that he loves so much and when you love it it's like absolutely the best process.'
Jake: 'I think pace really helps me as an actor... 'there's less time to do much of anything except trust your instincts.' Jake talks about even at a Q&A, Ed would say 'Where's Jake?!' and it was like being back on set and 'he would shock me into my instincts because I can... I can really, I can really get into my brain and it's not an awesome place sometimes. Sorry to everybody... Annie has so many ideas and he paid so much service to each one of the ideas in a very serious way and with me it was like 'Go, go,go, move, move'.'
Anne talks about arriving on set a month after everyone else and although it was uncomfortable in hindsight it was the right thing to do. Some times her character would have felt like she was hanging on by a thread and so being shocked into it wouldn't have worked.
Last night, Love and Other Drugs was screened at the CMJ Film Festival at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema in NYC. Proving true the adage that you can never do enough Q&As in one week, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ed Zwick were on hand to answer questions. It also provided Jake with the perfect opportunity to look completely and stunningly hot and gorgeous. All in a day's work. This is an Emergency Post and so another with more details of both Q&As will follow later today. Source for the wonderful pictures. There are many more there.
Tonight the new Graham Norton Show begins and Maggie Gyllenhaal is among the first guests. Maggie is in London filming Hysteria about the invention of the vibrator... ahem. That should provide something to talk about. More details about the film here and about the show tonight here. It airs on BBC 1 at 10.35pm.
Last night, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway joined Ed Zwick for a Q&A after a screening of Love and Other Drugs at NYU. We are very fortunate indeed because we have videos!
Jeff Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere finally got to see Love and Other Drugs last night and he is full of praise for it. Not only does he call it Ed Zwick's finest movie, he also says that it's not just Anne who has produced a great performance.
'I'd been told that Hathaway's performance is the killer, and it is, I suppose, because your heart goes out to any character coping with a debilitating disease (stage-one Parkinson's) and who wants to keep herself aloof and in control, but Gyllenhaal gives his most winning performance ever -- not the deepest or darkest or saddest, perhaps, but 100% likable with no audience-alienation issues except for emotional avoidance. They're quite a pair, these two. All you want is to see them keep it together and somehow make it work.'
[Updated] Jake Gyllenhaal in Love and Other Drugs. I can say no more.... Source with thanks to Lady Ekster for the heads up.
On with the post...
Tonight, if you're a card carrying member of NYU, you can see Love and Other Drugs for free and then put your questions to Jake Gyllenhaal and Ed Zwick. It's playing at the 'Regal E-Walk, 247 West 42nd Street' at 7pm. This tells us two things - 1) Jake is indeed back in NYC (let's hope he brought the razor back with him) and 2) Love and Other Drugs is having a rather unconventional release.
Last week, students at NYU could have seen Love and Other Drugs for free and just a cursory sweep of the net reveals a myriad of screenings across the US. After news of the gala scheduled for the opening night of the prestigious AFI Fest on 4 November we then heard that the 'premiere' would then take place tomorrow night in NYC at the CMJ music and film festival. But both events have been preceded by a bunch of Q&As and screenings of one type or another and one has to wonder if the US premiere of Love and Other Drugs will have that special sparkle of magic dust that we expect when we hear the word 'premiere'. I also wonder what the CMJ organisers will think knowing that the film is getting a starry screening and Q&A at NYU tonight, just one day ahead of its own big event.
Talking of premieres, Red was centre stage in Leicester Square, London, last night and, apart from praising National Treasure Helen Mirren, Bruce Willis picked Jake Gyllenhaal as one of the younger stars to watch and to trust. Jake and Justin Timberlake. They're 'tough', Bruce said in a John McClane kind of voice. You can see the moment here.
Of course, Jake and Bruce are tennis buddies...
Viva Gwynneth!
I know that I've been slightly critical of Ms GP in recent posts (well, in recent years, to be honest) and so, in order to try and make some amends (but not too many) it seems only right to mention the credit that Jake paid to Gwynnie at the Elle tribute for Brokeback Mountain: 'It was the experience of watching Gwyneth dressed as a young boy that immediately lead me to sign onto Brokeback Mountain.'
Thanks to IHJ for the pictures. The Jake and Bruce pics are from the 2009 US Open.
