'Working with Jim was a beautiful mess' - Jim Sheridan celebrated

The Irish Film Institute in Dublin is currently hosting a season to celebrate the work of one of the country's most well-known and much-loved directors Jim Sheridan. At a screening of My Left Foot last week, its star, Daniel Day-Lewis was there to pay tribute to the man who allowed him to create such a career-defining first role with Christy Brown. Reading that, and hearing the kind words about Sheridan, I couldn't help but think of Jake Gyllenhaal's experience of working with Jim on Brothers, another example where the director has influenced and inspired Jake to take a role. And it gave Jake the chance to try out his Irish accent during press, of course.. A bonus.


Jake told the Telegraph that his sense of feeling more comfortable with himself - something he has commented on during the publicity for Love and Other Drugs - began with Brothers and working with Jim. 'He ignited something, which was like, 'You can be whatever you want or, if not, whatever you are is enough.''


But acting for Jim was not quite what Jake was used to (here in the Herald): 'Working with Jim was a beautiful mess... I am not sure what happened or how it came together, but it was a really interesting mess. One day there's a PA who he's brought over who brought coffee, and there she is sitting behind the monitor and he's asking her what she thinks of the scene! Then we're changing the dialogue according to what she thinks of the scene!'

'The next day, some guy he met on a plane he invites to the set and rewrites the dialogue for him! It's a whole real interesting mess with Jim, but it turns out to be a good result in the end, so...'


Jim told Natalie Portman in an interview for Making Of that he had some trouble working with Jake (and Natalie as well), getting these Hollywood actors to show the emotion he required of them. I remember we had quite a discussion about that here at the time! When reminded of this by the Herald, Jake had this to say:


'"What do you mean by that? I have great respect for Jim and it's important that you respect someone's work. The work is not always the same as who they are as a person and navigating that is always difficult and there are lots of different egos and personalities in this business," he says, seeming both hurt and defensive. "I don't mean to wear the fact that I like to challenge people as a badge of honour. I think that's something I've moved beyond."


'"I was born into the film industry and all of us grow up thinking we have a perspective on film-making that's different from the job. But only very recently I realised that film-making is a collaborative process. When I was younger I had an idea that I was the actor there to do the job. For somebody who's gotten to the place where they are directing or writing a movie, they have to have a pretty interesting personality to be doing that. So I realise now that I am in service of somebody else's vision and I think it's changed the whole situation."'


Telegraph again: "[Jim] walked up to me in the beginning of this movie, and he said [adopts Irish accent], 'Jake, I just want you to know, you're playing my little brother in the movie, so I'm going to have to hate you most of the time.' Honestly, he was like, 'I f------ hate you!' But clearly the process worked."


"I think that this movie is a journey, the journey that Tobey's character makes to get back home. It is intertwined with a lot of other family complications – this is a Jim Sheridan movie after all – but mostly it is about what this man does to get back to the people that he loves, and to his life."

Jim Sheridan was also responsible for the first great Sasquatch carnation. That's another matter altogether...


There were compensations, however.


Includes pictures from IHJ.

I saw True Grit tonight - at last out in the UK - you can read the review here.