A new interview with Jake Gyllenhaal - giving in to the power of the universe and going out with a smile

Duncan Jones tweeted today that Source Code has now 'level'd up' in the US, matching its $50m production costs. As the film progresses around the world, it is near enough certain that Source Code will soon top the $100m mark. This is great news. The new releases of the film also means extra bounty for all of us in the shape of a new interview with Jake Gyllenhaal. This interview, in Australia's Herald Sun, is clearly recent because it makes mention of events that have just happened. Here are some excerpts.


'I do ponder the questions between free will and destiny and more and more as I get older I really do believe in fate and giving into the power of the universe and how mighty and powerful it actually is... I have always been fascinated in those ideas of philosophy and questioning reality. So given a choice to make, I generally tend towards those sorts of movies.'

'Often, he says, the bigger films appeal to his sense of fun and adventure and the more indie work appeals to his "heart and soul"'.


'So if he had eight minutes to live, what would Gyllenhaal do? "I have thought about it a lot," he says. "I would call my family if I weren't already with them and I would try to have a good laugh. You see Buddha under a tree laughing and smiling and he seems like a good role model, so I would love to do the same when exiting the world."'

'"My family is my family first and foremost regardless of what they do for their day jobs," he says. "I am lucky to be blessed with pretty extraordinary people. I am lucky that they happen to be talented to boot, but I don't really bounce off them except the normal life stuff - not work."'


'Having played a US marine in Jarhead, a pilot in Source Code and a cop in the coming drama End of Watch, Gyllenhaal says he takes the portrayal of serving men seriously. "I think even as this whole thing with Osama Bin Laden comes out and people start to think what an extraordinary job these Navy Seals did, to portray someone who does a job as significant as they do accurately and with respect, I find that to be a great responsibility," he says. "I always feel pressure when I am doing it and try to do as much research as possible."'


'"My opinion matters very little but to be here, I have seen a whole number of reactions," he says of the mood in his homeland right now. "It's hard to speak for everybody and that's what makes America so extraordinary. It's celebratory and contemplative at the same time."'


Interestingly, Jake also makes reference to the recent comments by Baz Luhrmann on the Moulin Rouge auditions. '"It was an honour to be seen and heard and listened to by Baz," he says of his audition. "He is a great filmmaker. I remember it as a very nurturing, huge growing process for me as an artist, which says a lot about Mr Luhrmann." Given McGregor's surprising vocals in the film, surely Gyllenhaal is harbouring musical talents too? "Oh, it's not hidden," he says, laughing. "And I'm not even necessarily sure it's a talent, but I would love to do a musical one day."'


The above picture from Memphis shows Jake practising with the trumpet for his moment on stage supporting Mumford and Sons.

Includes photos from IHJ and links.

My review of Hanna is now up on MovieBrit.