Sunday 31 October 2010

Updated: Jake Gyllenhaal covers Esquire UK for December! Ed Zwick on forming a 'real relationship' with his LAOD actors

[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."'

You can read the rest of the interview here.


Jake on a Plane

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.


Pictures from IHJ and WDW.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW I am counting the days till I get to see, with my own eyes, how much time in bed Jake and Anne spend together in LAOD!

I have to question whether the plane incident actually happened, but it would be fun if it did. At least for the flight attendants.

sweetpea

mermon said...

Hi!
WDW, thank you for that interview with Ed Zwick. It seems that he really likes Anne and Jake and became close with them, and he seems to appreciate this closeness. That's nice.
That plane's story is sympathetic. Jake is certainly easy going person, liking to chat. I can only imagine, how stewardesses were excited.
A scrap of Ellen show with Taylor Swift, when Ellen ask her about Jake G. Taylor was a bit speechless.
http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-national/taylor-swift-on-ellen-video-1

mermon said...

Me again :)
Jake Gyllenhaal is on the December cover of Esquire UK.
http://twitpic.com/32n7wp

Anonymous said...

Thanks mermon for the pic of the cover of UK Esquire. I look forward to some American covers next :D

sweetpea

Anonymous said...

Taylor has said her songs may be about people and situations in her life, but during interviews she doesn't talk about them.

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Hello!

Me too, Sweetpea! Quite a wait over here unfortunately :(

Hi Mermon! It is a fun story and yes, there'll always be doubt with these things. Thanks very much for the heads up about the cover - I've updated the post and will be keeping my eyes open for the mag :D

paulh said...

If the plane incident was fun for the flight attendants, it was probably fun for Jake, too.

I wonder if Jake spent much time on Martha's Vneyard this summer. I say that because Eastern Massachusetts had a lot of sun and very few cloudy days this summer. Jake has a deep tan in that publicity photo WDW posted, and I have a deep tan, too. It's been that kind of summer, I guess. I'm sort of ambivalent about summer. I don't want it to end, and yet I'm very tired of hot, humid weather now. :-(

When I see pictures of Jake on a motorcycle, I pray that he will be careful. I know people who have gotten hurt while riding those things.

gyllenhaalisgr8 said...

I'm with you, paulh...I am so glad Jake's helmet is opaque...you know those effin' paparrazi! We don't want to lose him now! Or ever!!

gyllenhaalisgr8 said...

Yes, mermon, but Taylor did not confirm nor deny!! Hmmm.

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Hi Paul! Jake does seem to have quite a tan. I miss the summer. We turned our clocks back yesterday and now it's dark and I feel like the cold weather is one the way *sighs*. Yes, Jake needs to be careful. But a glorious way to travel around California.

That really is a good point, Gyllenhaalisgr8 :) The helmet should give him a fair bit of anonymity.

LadyEkster said...

What a beautiful picture, with the sunlight coming through the trees! The atmosphere shines right through. :)
On the contrary: what has Esquire done to Jake's face and body?! Bloody hell. If there is one person who doesn't need any photoshopping, it's him.

"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?" I want video tapes of those talks!! :-D

That flight story is very cute. Clever flight attendant. ;-)

(Google is being annoying, won't accept my account. MEH.)

lemniscate said...

G'day Folks,

Can't wait for that Esquire interview! (Yes, mostly for the photos of Jake and the now long lost face pet).

Ed Zwick is such a wonderful person. I bet he'd be a joy to work with. So approachable and collaborative. (but, you need to be prepared and have respect for the creative process... or Ed will not be ok with that ;-) I love the way he provides more insight into the making of LAOD. Especially how they prepared for a movie that seems to be so much more intimate and revealing (emotionally and physically) than what we're used. He created a new genre! ;-)

The plane story is just too cute. Depending on how it was put to him, I can imagine him doing that. ;-)

lemniscate said...

@WDW - Wow! Love the interlude photo. That is near you? Hm... The Kings Men... The Whispering Knights. Mysterious and enchanting. I'm a sucker for ancient history and "old rocks". ;-)

Aoife said...

yowwwwwwwwww... looking forward to seeing Esquire... (and possibly buying a copy to keep under my pillow lol!)

Love the thing about the flight attendant :L My mom used to be an air hostess but unfortunately she never came across Jake. She did, however, meet Jim Sheridan, who directed Jake in Brothers! And also, Britney Spears, but I think that's another story for another day... :L

Ed Zwick sounds like someone with a lot of insight into how young people behave :L I'm really really REALLY looking forward to LAOD! Does anyone know the Irish/or UK release date? I've googled and googled but can't find it :/

Aoife :)

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Morning everyone! Another busy Monday, they shouldn't be allowed...

Hi there Lady Ekster! I'm looking forward to getting a proper look at that cover. I think it'll be in the hops in three or four days. I never understand why anyone would want to photoshop Jake's face!

Evening Lemniscate! They are - they're about 30 minutes away and just beautiful and always quiet. I love prehistory too. It always amuses me that these monuments always become associated in some way with Arthur. I do agree about Ed!

Hi there Aoife! I have a fear of flying but being in a seat near Jake would help matters! (Not least because it would mean I'm in first class...).

You need look no further than the front page of WDW and to the left! The film is released in the UK on 31 December with the premiere on 6 December :)

Have a good day everyone! Someone at work baked me a little pumpkin cupcake!

Cazajuguetes said...

Hi!
I really enjoyed interview with Ed Zwick. It seems they shared a lot of their personal experiences with him.

Cute story that of the flight. If it's true what a nice anecdote for them to tell. There must have been some thrilling tension moments to see what his reaction would be to the note. So cool.

I like the Rollright Stones picture atmosphere, Autumn is just perfect for that.

Anonymous said...

Some of you may not want to hear this but LAOD doesn't appear to have the Oscar buzz here in the United States for either actor or the movie itself. Romantic comedies are difficult to garner Oscar buzz in slick Hollywood these days. Jake or Anne will have to do some stuffy biography or over the top special effects movie in the future to get any awards attention.

Hopefully LAOD will be a box office hit, sorry but here in the USA if you don't bring in money then you won't be offered very many high profile movies or indies these days.

Anonymous said...

Probably true, but all the talk about potential Oscar status can only help promote LAOD. And it isn't a typical romantic comedy so maybe it won't be automatically dismissed. Hopefully it will make loads of money and then everyone will be happy.

Susan

Serene Hill said...

Hi WDW...
on the previous post, I totally love Jake with the bike, super cool.
The Esquire Dec cover pic, what is that thing on Jake's pocket?
LAOD is getting closer, I'm so impatient, still not sure when it will be released here :'(
Thanks for the posts WDW!

Aoife said...

Serene Hill -
It looks like a pair of leather gloves. :)
WDW, it looks like he DOES protect those lovely hands after all! ;)

paulh said...

It seems to me that Oscar nominations are a self-fulfilling business. If people start talking *as if* a film/actor/director might be nominated, then the powers that be are apt to look more closely. I haven't started looking at the critics' reviews yet, but they might hold some clues. If a few influential critics say that the film deserves Oscar consideration, then some other critics may be swayed. Once this happens, then some regional critics' groups (Boston, New York, L.A., etc) may start nominating it for awards, and Oscar is not going to be able to avoid considering it. Oscar could very well say no, of course, but he/they/it would feel some pressur enonetheless...

winterbird said...

I am not surprised if Jake gets free tickets and upgrade (in case he needs one) from all those airlines that he charmed over the years!

Huh? Reese who?

Wet Dark and Wild said...

Hello everyone! Back home and ready to put my feet up...

Hi Eureka! I'm really glad you liked the picture of the Stone :)

Hi Anon - this is a discussion we've had before but I would argue again that this film is not necessarily a RomCom and while it doesn't get much Oscar buzz from some places, it gets rather a lot from others. My main concern is that it's a good film. And I'm not worried about that.

Hey Susan - I agree!

Hi Serene Hill! As Aoife says, I think they're a pair of leather gloves! Does make me wonder what the photos inside will be like :D

Waves to Aiofe :D

I agree, Paul :) The way things spread - it does seem like an elaborate game at times.

Hey there Winterbird! Jake must certainly have accumulated some airmiles...