UPDATE - The GN SHow! Jake Gyllenhaal in London, Part 1!

UPDATE! Jake Gyllenhaal on The Graham Norton Show:



Thanks to Mermon for finding the link!

On with the post...

Jake Gyllenhaal is in London, not only that he has brought the sunshine with him. All fears that Jake would have to don waders or snorkel to his media appointments have been put to rest. Today has been a busy day and it is not yet done. With the Graham Norton Show still to come (10.30pm tonight on BBC 1 - 8 December on BBC America), today began bright an early with an appearance on Radio 1's Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw.

The Radio

You can listen to the show here and here for the next 7 days (I suspect only in the UK unfortunately).



The show tweeted: 'We've all fallen a little bit in love with Jake Gyllenhaal. Even the guys on the team. What a guy :D' I think we know why.

Jake was happy to be photographed outside the studio - maybe the extra hair and beard means that Jake doesn't have to wear a coat in today's subzero temperatures.

The webchat

Next, at 10am, was the MSN webchat - you can read all of that (backwards) here, including insight into Jake's opinions on ribena, teacakes, books, movies, flowers and a whole lot more, including his belief that Michael Pena deserves an Oscar for his role in End of Watch. Also, when asked why he's not on Twitter, Jake replies that he's a 'Luddite'. My favourite moments:

'I just want to take this last moment to say thank you all for joining us, I can't see any of you but I really appreciate you taking your time out of the day to ask me these questions. I hope that you all keep giving me the opportunity to do what I love and hope you have a wonderful afternoon. Stay warm if it's cold where you are.'

'I would love to work with Jean Jacques Audiard or Paul Thomas Anderson, and there are some, I would love one day maybe to play Jo Namath, famous football star, but to me a movie is all about relationships and the reality of those relationships and how honest they are. So very rarely is it about a character or a person, it's more about the heart of the script and the heart of the director telling that story.'

On forgetting his lines: 'Yes, but I've recovered pretty quickly. It happens not that often but when it does happen that's what makes you a professional actor is your recovery.'

'I've never really found anythng a fan said to me strange. People definitely have a lot to say and there are many different opinons and they express them to me. What I think is wonderful about being public with your career, is that people are allowed to express themselves. Nothing strange though, I've been doing it long enough not to find anybody strange, everybody is unique.'

'My fave thing about travelling is how each culture expresses themselves stylistically and culinarily, i love food, so it's wonderful to explore that side of any culture. Some of my closest friends live in and around London and that's what i love the most about London. A handful of my closest friends are British.'

On being an early bird or a night owl: 'Personally i like being up during the day, but it depends on what i'm working on too. At this point doing a show in NY, i tend to be up very late bec we finish the show and you have to come down from the show. But normally i like to be up during the day so i guess you could say i'm an early bird. I'm more of a bird than an early bird.'

'I believe deeply in everyone knowing where their food comes from, I grew up around farmers and with my family growing some of their own food in a veg garden. But gardening is a broad term, I love flowers but i'm not growing any!'

On The Shave: 'After the run of my play, which ends Dec 23rd, I start shooting another movie a few weeks later, so depending on the external trappings that character will have, this beard is for the play i'm doing now.'

'The last movie that I shot which was yet to come out called An Enemy where I play a history professor and an actor, technically playing two different roles and also acting with myself. Also the weirdness of the world it's the strangest movie I've made so far in my career. It was a real journey making it, it was an experience even in the process of making it.'

The podcast

Next up was the Empire podcast with Chris Hewitt (of who, I am a big fan) and Stephen Woolley. The podcast is embedded below but you can also download and listen to it here. Chris: 'He was immensely dreamy, with a lovely beard.'

Tonight

Jake will be on the Graham Norton Show tonight with most of Top Gear and Joan Rivers. How this will pan out we have yet to see but the GN Show tweeted earlier: 'Great show record with Jake Gyllenhaal, @Joan_Rivers,@jcrclarksonesq, @mrjamesmay. See the broadcastable bits tonight BBC1 10:35 #thegnshow'

I also hope we'll get to hear something about the BAFTA Q and A today.

All of which means, there will be more, so stay tuned!

Joan Rivers stealing Jake's Goodie Bag from the Graham Norton Show

UPDATE! WDW Exclusive Part 2! Carey Mulligan speaks about Jake Gyllenhaal and the UK prepares...

UPDATE! Tomorrow morning at 10am Brit Time, Jake will be answering fans' questions on MSN. So, in the meantime tweet your questions to @msnents using #msnjake or follow this link to the webpage where you can also leave a question.

Jake appears on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show tomorrow and on th Graham Norton Show on the BBC at 10.30pm. Thanks to Gyllencrazy for the info that this will be broadcast on BBC America on 8 December.

So, if you're in London as of now, keep your eyes open!

On with the post!

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to share a fabulous report by Lisa and Ted from their NYC trip to see Jake Gyllenhaal at the Armed Forces event. If you see Jake at one event in a weekend then you can consider yourself truly fortunate, but two?! Earlier the same day - 11 November - Lisa and Ted attended a performance of If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet which was followed by a Q and A in which the full cast, including Jake, participated. Lisa even asked the first question. So, with no further ado, here is Lisa's full and brilliant report:

'On Sunday, November 11^th I attended If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet for the sixth time and enjoyed it just as much as I did all the other times!  The performances are tighter than ever and Enid Graham is a great addition to the cast playing Anna’s mother, Fiona.  This performance was extra special because Ted, who has been on a couple of other adventures with me :-), was able to join me in the states and we had tickets in the orchestra front row center.  It was amazing to be sitting that close and looking straight on like that and, yes, we did get splashed a few times!!

This performance included a Q&A and this time the full cast participated. Jake looked great in the mustard colored pants he had on in the recent ‘walking about NYC pictures’ with a brown button down shirt and no hat (boy, that head of hair is getting full – lookin’ good)!

When the cast first got seated Jake looked around the audience a lot - he seemed to scan each and every person.  He looked quite relaxed throughout, slumped down a bit with legs stretched out in front of him when other cast members spoke, sometimes with a distant look as if really concentrating on what they were saying.  He would nod in agreement from time to time as they spoke and would sit right up when he was asked a question as he readied to answer.

I felt very fortunate to have the opportunity to ask the first question which I directed to Jake (of course)!  I noted that he played a lot of different characters over his career and that Terry is quite a unique one and I asked if he could tell us what he liked and disliked about playing this character.  He said that he first wanted to say that it was the writing that attracted him to the play and he went on to say similar things that we’ve heard him say before about the story (i.e. the messy family situation, etc.) but I’ll be honest that when he was answering this question he was looking directly at me (he was doing that a lot – looking at the person who asked the question while giving his answer instead of looking at the audience as a whole) so there are definitely bits that went in one ear and out the other! 

He said that when he read the script that parts were written like poetry and he liked that Terry’s sentences were often unfinished and he had to finish them himself mentally.  He said it was funny how when you looked at the lines all of Terry’s were just on the left hand side of the page because they just stopped (he chuckled as he explained that). 

He continued that he felt Terry is just trying to be understood and has such a hard time expressing himself but he is dedicated to the truth of it.  He thinks that that’s where a lot of Terry’s anger comes from – not being able to verbalize it and that’s what he loved about it. He added that if you’re going to do something eight times a week you want it be something you really want to be a part of and he felt that this was an opportunity he might not get to play again. 



Needless to say I just nodded and smiled throughout his answer because, wow, it’s really hard to concentrate when those eyes are looking straight at you!  So hard, in fact, that I didn’t notice until much later that he didn’t mention what he disliked about playing the character of Terry – maybe there isn’t anything he dislikes about it?  

Jake seemed happy to answer any questions that came his way as well as jump in and add to some of the things being asked of the other cast members.  When Annie was asked about the relationship between Anna and Terry and if she even realized it was leaning toward a sexual nature she said that she and Jake talked a lot about that and both felt that this girl needed some type of positive attention – any type of attention – as she was so overlooked and being a 15 year old girl it’s not a surprise that she confused her feelings at times.  Jake took the microphone from her when she was done and wanted to add that it seems that people often confuse intimacy and sexuality and that you can have one without the other and that the way Anna and Terry are toward each other is just how these two people express themselves.

There was a question that’s been brought up before regarding this play about the two brothers speaking so differently and Jake grabbed the microphone right away and laughed as he said “well George is A LOT older” which got a laugh out of everyone (especially Brian who plays George)!  He went on to say that George had a lot of schooling, did a lot of studying and seemed to identify with that while Terry was closer to home and stayed closer to his mom.  He said he also thought that Terry wants to hold on to somewhat of a street-smart kid attitude so kind of talks in a certain way to portray that.


Link for the above video interview

There was a question for Annie and Enid about the mother and daughter relationship which they both spoke a little about and then a couple of comments that made people shake their heads a bit (but that always seems to happen at a Q&A)!  One was from an older woman who wanted to tell anyone who would listen that the British accents didn’t sound right and caused her to not understand one thing that was said and she thought someone should make note of that – this caused a combination of discomfort and a few chuckles from the audience and cast members alike!  Another older woman mentioned a photo of Jake that she saw in the NY Times as part of a review and that he had a red beard and she wondered what happened to it which caused Jake to grab the microphone and say “I think you got a bad copy of the NY times” which got quite a roar of laughter from everyone! 

All and all it was a very interesting and entertaining Q&A and it was wonderful to hear Jake talk about this project which is obviously very dear to him. 

I do have to thank a group of friends who joined Ted and I after the play and helped me write a thorough recap of the Q&A as it was a lot to remember but we wanted to get it all written down so we could share!'

Thank you, Lisa!

Carey Mulligan on Jake Gyllenhaal in End of Watch

This - a presentation for SAG - is very special. Carey's words on the performance of her friend Jake in End of Watch:

'I remember so vividly Jake's demeanor when he was preparing for "End of Watch." I have known him and regarded him as a dear friend for several years, and during that time I was very struck by some fundamental change in him. He was energized, he was completely present and he told me with such excitement about the work that he was doing to get ready for his next movie. A large part of the work involved was observing protocol on the midnight shift with the LAPD. Both he and Michael Pena witnessed pretty tragic, unpleasant scenes that affected them both. His descriptions of the ride-alongs were charged not with voyeurism but with a profound respect for the policemen and women whom they were observing. His reinvigorated sense of perspective and humility was palpable. I sensed just how deep he had already gone, and that the experience was filling him in some new way. Not that Jake had ever taken work lightly ­­-- quite the opposite -- but what was so distinct on this occasion was that this work was releasing him. He seemed more free, more alive and more comfortable in his skin than I had ever known him.'

'Watching Jake in "End of Watch," I saw all of that joyous freedom on the screen. His complete ease in scenes with the brilliant Michael Pena makes those moments wrap around you in all their infectious warmth, and pulls you into the car with them. Their comraderie is the most beautiful portrayal of friendship in the truest sense: absolute trust, love and unflinching loyalty. It is a love story that broke my heart and Jake's work is fearless. He is not daunted by the intimacy of their relationship, the lightening fast emotional changes, the dichotomy of bravado and honesty or even a meticulously choreographed first dance at his wedding. When he stood to speak at the closing of the movie, with such quiet grace, I realized I hadn't thought once of the Jake I know as my friend but only as the character he embodies in this wonderfully special movie.'

Speaking of awards, Michael Pena has been nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Spirit Award although Jake and David Ayer were not nominated - mixed news there.

End of Watch and the UK

Jake is set to arrive in the UK imminently for his flying promotional trip. Tomorrow night Jake's appearance on the Graham Norton Show is recorded (before airing late on Friday night), during which he will be surrounded by Jeremy Clarkson and James May of Top Gear as well as Joan Rivers. Getting a word in will prove quite a feat but I'm sure Jake will manage it. Also, unlike other chat shows, if Jake is first on the show he'll be there on the sofa throughout. If he's last on, he'll be fighting for airtime with Clarkson - could be interesting. Could be controversial. Could be petrolheady. Not having Top Gear's Richard The Hamster Hammond and Jake on the show is a missed opportunity that Norton may rue til the end of his days - or at least til the end of the series.

Also on Friday, Jake is taking part in a BAFTA screening and Q and A in London.

On Friday morning, Jake is due to appear on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show - not something I'd wish on many people but hopefully it will go well and Jake won't be overshadowed by the announcement of flood warnings.

No doubt, there will be more! Especially as End of Watch has been causing such a great buzz over the UK since its release last Friday.

Thanks to IHJ for the lovely new pictures!

End of Watch in the UK cinemas today! Which means lots of Jake Gyllenhaal interviews, covers and videos...

End of Watch  finally reaches the cinemas of Britain today! 23 November has come around and now many more of us will get to see this fine film which is stirring up rave reviews left, right and centre. Talking of reviews, here's mine. Of course, End of Watch came out a couple of months ago in the US and it already has an American DVD/blu ray release date - 22 January. You can see details of the extras here. The missed opportunity, though, is no commentary with Jake and Michael.

As you can imagine on End of Watch release day there is a lot going on and it's only going to get busier as Jake Gyllenhaal himself will be in the UK to promote the film next weekend. And so, ahead of the Part 2 WDW Exclusive with Ted, Lisa and Jake in the next post, here's a look at some highlights from this busy week.

Jake was all over the cover of the London free magazine Shortlist this week in a big piece of advertising for the film. In an interview with the magazine there are some comments in which Jake addresses the constantly recurring rumours that Jake could be picked to play a Rebooted Batman of Spider-Man. I wish I ha a pound for every time we've heard this over the years.

'At a certain point you realise there's always someone more interesting, talented and ready to do a role than you are - and you won't get every role you go for. All I want right now is to hone my skills and become a better actor, not dream about wearing a cape. But you never know.'

The potential for embarrassment does persist, however many hours of screentime an actors has clocked up: 'Do you think there is one person on Earth impervious to embarrassment? And do you think it would be me? That’s a rhetorical question, and I’ll leave you with that.'

Jake is also interviewed in the London paper, Metro, and interestingly Nailed is one of the subjects that pops up: '‘It’s weird that a movie you make doesn’t come out,’ sighs Gyllenhaal. ‘But I’m just an actor. It’s other people’s jobs to put the movie together and sell it. I did my job and maybe one day somebody else will put that movie out. Unlikely, though.’'

There is also a little bit about An Enemy. 'Gyllenhaal is next appearing in An Enemy, an adaptation of a José Saramago novel, in which he plays dual roles as a man seeking out his doppleganger after spotting him in a film. It will be, he promises, ‘a real head-f***’. It may not have required five months’ of immersion in LA copland but Gyllenhaal insists it fits into his new ethos of immersing himself in reality. ‘What we do in this profession can often be absurd,’ he says. ‘So now I’m much more interested in learning about real people’s stories and trying to portray those.’'

In an interview with the Scotsman, Jake makes it plain that he's not going to waste any more time answering questions about movie adaptations of Fifty Shades, thank heavens, before talking in some detail about the End of Watch shoot.

The riches continue with a video interview with Jake, Michael and David Ayer courtesy of the Guardian.

Digital Spy has been picking Jake's Top 5 Films. Take a look and see if you agree. Female First has also been using the opportunity to reassess Jake's career.

The Sun is more interested in Jake's shaved head.

New Eyes

With its original plans scuppered by Hurricane Sandy, this week New Eyes for the Needy finally managed to honour Jake for his work promoting the charity at its 80th anniversary gala. Jake's co-stars from If There Is... were among the crowd supporting Jake.

Thanks very much to IHJ for the pictures! Including this one below from GQ Korea which has a certain something...

And then there are the videos...

End of Watch gets closer!

A quick emergency post to bring you Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena and End of Watch courtesy of the December issue of Total Film. In case you've forgotten and you're not counting down the minutes, End of Watch explodes into the UK cinemas this Friday!

Big catch up! Jake Gyllenhaal on being alive when he's 60, new interviews and a fun clip from End of Watch

The second part of the WDW Exclusive with Ted and Lisa will follow shortly but in the meantime, a speedy catch up is necessary, not least for me who is being tortured by having to work evenings and weekends at the moment, as well as during the day. So while I grab my violin, let's take a look at what's been going on over the last few days.

Jake Gyllenhaal is enjoying the limelight in the UK papers but he's still popping up in the US sheets, and the fact that the dreaded O word is looming may have a little to do with it. Yes, I mean the Oscars, but if you won't mention it, I won't either (spits, throws salt over shoulder and avoids walking under black cats). This week Jake appeared in the LA Times where, when he was asked what he wanted to be when he was 60, said alive. I can empathise with that. Good to hear Jake speaking about Heath, too.

'At 30, there were a number of moments in my life that culminated or began — like my family being born in a new way, with two nieces that are now in my life. My parents got divorced right around that time. When you're in your 20s there's a certain sense of wanting to take responsibility for the way you behave, the way you look at the world and how you interact. I've always felt that way in the movies I pick, or the things I care about, because I was brought up by people with good values. But, yeah, there was a real biological turning point at that time.'

'You're putting your heart into this creative process and it means so much in the moment you're doing it — yet at the same time having the ability to be objective and say you're just making a movie, it's kind of absurd — that was definitely what they always instilled. It's not until recently where I've been able to see that. I get to make movies, and I'm so blessed, but most of the time I go, "This is absurd, this is way too much money and way too many egos and way too many people thinking they're the most important thing in the world." This is fun. We should all be having a great time.'

'I work with actors, and I've made a conscious effort to work with people who are more talented than me, because I think they bring out your best work. Heath was always full of massive charisma and great skill, and he really took his time to listen to himself and find that. And I have great admiration for that.'

There is a lot more that Jake has to say over at the LA Times.

The interview above is from the Canary Wharf magazine. Thanks to IHJ for the scans!

There is an interview with End of Watch director David Ayer in the UK Huff post. Here are a couple of extracts:

We rehearsed for five months before the shoot. They're both incredibly gifted professional actors and they initially started tackling the problem as professional actors. I was like, "Guys, this isn't something you're going to create with technique - it's got to be real. You've got to have that familiarity." And somewhere during this journey, somewhere during the ride-alongs and being with the real cops at 3am and running into gang members and dealing with the aftermath of shootings and firing live ammunition past each other's heads and tactical exercises and real training with the LAPD, somewhere in all of that this spark of friendship burst into flame. They're still friends to this day. When that happened, they wouldn't shut up and they drove me crazy [laughs] but it was ultimately good for the movie.

Jake 'shot a lot of the movie. It's insane. And it's interesting because I would tell him, "You've got this camera in your hands - it's not Jake Gyllenhaal operating the camera, it's your character operating the camera so you have to see the world through that character's eyes and figure out what about that is going to capture your attention so that you're going to want to record that on video." It added this amazing layer where not only was he my actor but he became a visual collaborator.'

End of Watch finally opens at the end of next week. To celebrate the occasion, here is a new released clip - and it is a goodie:

And finally...

A few more details on the filming of Prisoners which is set to kick off in January in Atlanta, before moving on to Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

Thanks to IHJ for the pics!

WDW Exclusive Part 1! Jake Gyllenhaal at the Arts in the Armed Forces event in NYC on Sunday - a special report

On Sunday 11 November, Jake Gyllenhaal was one of the stars who appeared in the Arts in the Armed Forces event in NYC - an evening of staged monologues from American plays which was free to military service personnel and also open to civilians for a donation. I am thrilled that WDW had its very own reporters at the event who have done a brilliant job of not only enjoying themselves but also scribbling down full and thorough notes about the evening so that we can share it too. Of course, I mean Ted and Lisa!

Here, then, is their full account, along with scans of the programme. But, even better, this is just part one of two because Ted and Lisa also attended another Jake event at the weekend and details of that will follow in the next post. Over to Lisa and Ted (the photo below is of course of Ted, Lisa and a certain actor from the famous Nailed set visit):

'Ted and I attended the Arts in the Armed Forces charity event that Jake took part in on Sunday evening. The intimate 200 seat theater was filled with military members and their families but a small number of tickets were held aside for civilians who were willing to donate to this organization, which Ted & I were happy to do. Once again we found ourselves in the front row center and were blown away by the diverse group of actors that took to the stage reading passages from a variety of plays both old and new. 

When we arrived at The Lucille Lortel Theatre there were only a handful of people gathered outside waiting for the doors to open. Jake came out of the theater and milled about for a bit on the sidewalk (wearing his Boston Red Sox cap much to my delight!) When it was time for the patrons to enter we did so (Jake was still outside) and were happy for the general admission seating and seats again in the front row. After getting settled there was time to spare so Ted strolled out to the lobby while I stayed in my seat and spoke with a woman about the private reception that was planned for later that evening. Ted came back to his seat and informed me that Jake was hanging out in the lobby (believe me it was hard to remain in my seat after hearing that but that’s what I did). A few moments later Jake came walking toward the stage and crossed right in front of our seats – Ted said hello to him as he passed and Jake stopped, smiled, shook his hand and said hello and asked how he was. Ted said he was great and I looked up in pretty much disbelief (how on earth did I not see him walking toward us)?! I said hello as well – he did the same and he shook my hand and I couldn’t hold back a quick “Hey, Red Sox!” as I pointed to his cap – he chuckled and gave an enthusiastic “Yeah”! In hindsight I can’t imagine why either one of us was showing excitement toward the Red Sox based on the 2012 season but I guess that doesn’t matter all too much! Jake headed backstage from there and that was that. It all happened quite suddenly and was pretty surreal.

Shortly thereafter the event began with a lovely introduction by co-founder Adam Driver and some amazing readings by thirteen actors, including Frances McDormand and Michael Shannon among many others as well as two musical interludes by a talented musician. All the actors sat in folding chairs that were placed on the stage and watched and listened as each person performed center stage and joined the audience with great rounds of applause as each actor completed their reading. There was such a wonderful vibe on stage as well as throughout the theater. Similar to the Q&A earlier in the day, Jake scanned the audience a lot and seemed to look at every single audience member. I’m not sure if he does this because he is looking for people he knows or just likes to get a handle of the type of audiences he is speaking to – very interesting.

Jake was the 12th actor to read – he read the following excerpt from Arthur Miller’s play “All My Sons”:

It takes a little time to toss that off. Because they weren’t just men. For instance, one time it’d been raining several days and this kid came to me, and gave me his last pair of dry socks. Put them in my pocket. That’s only a little thing…but…that’s the kind of guys I had. They didn’t die; they killed themselves for each other. I mean that exactly; a little more selfish and they’d’ve been here today. And I got an idea - watching them go down. Everything was being destroyed, see, but it seemed to me that one new thing was made. A kind of…responsibility. Man for man. You understand me? - To show that, to bring that on to the earth again like some kind of a monument and everyone would feel it standing there, behind him, and it would make a difference to him. (pause) And then I came home and it was incredible. I…there was no meaning in it here; the whole thing to them was a kind of a - bus accident. I went to work with Dad, and that rat-race again. I felt…what you said…ashamed somehow. Because nobody was changed at all. It seemed to make suckers out of a lot of guys. I felt wrong to be alive, to open the bank-book, to drive the new car, to see the new refrigerator. I mean you can take those things out of a war, but when you drive that car you’ve got to know that it came out of the love a man can have for a man, you’ve got to be a little better because of that. Otherwise what you have is really loot, and there’s blood on it. I didn’t want to take any of it. And I guess that included you.

It was a very moving piece and Jake read it from what looked like a fairly small piece of paper that he had folded in his pocket.

When the readings were complete Adam Driver stepped up to thank the actors who all stood together and got a big round of applause. He also thanked the audience which prompted the actors to applaud as well – a happy occasion indeed! It was a very relaxed and intimate event where the actors and audience felt comfortable mingling together, this seemed to be the goal of the organizers who wanted an event that focused on the readings and what they meant.

The actors milled about a bit afterward in the aisles of the theater and on stage – Jake was on stage chatting with his fellow actors so we chose not to interrupt (although that was hard to do)! We filed out and chatted with other patrons on the sidewalk in front of the theater. When Jake came out he had on his jacket, backpack and Red Sox cap and greeted two friends who looked to be waiting outside for him. He talked to them for quite a while and then we moved along with some of the crowd and headed to the private reception being held at the Cowgirl Café which was around the corner. Jake never made it to the reception but we had a fantastic time talking with many people there – from actors to musicians to Marines. When we spoke to William Jackson Harper we learned that some of the actors did not receive their reading assignments until as late as that very morning. We noticed that Jake read his excerpt right from the paper with not many moments looking up at the audience. We thought that not only was he probably not given a lot of notice regarding his reading but also having a matinee performance that day he must not have had a lot of time to digest the material. But he did a great job nonetheless as did everyone!'

Part 2 to follow! Thanks so much to Lisa and Ted for going to so much trouble.

Jake was also in the Sunday Times on Sunday - thanks to IHJ for the scans.

Jake Gyllenhaal takes a stroll in NYC and appears in a special evening for military personnel as we remember

Any doubts as to which continent Jake Gyllenhaal might be on right now (one report had him flying from LAX to London yesterday) were dispelled by photos and news. On Friday 9 November Jake was spotted walking hand in hand in NYC with The Mystery Brunette, who we have seen in pictures before, with old friend and Day After Tomorrow co-star Austin Nichols along for the walk as well.

Thanks to IHJ for the lovely pics!

Today is the day that many nations stop and remember those who gave their lives for us and are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Jake is one of several well known names taking part in a free performance tonight for military personnel in NYC which will feature staged readings from American plays. The night is intended to bridge the gap between the military and performing arts worlds.



And finally...

Congratulations are due to The Shoes who won two awards at the UK Music Video Awards this week for Time to Dance - Best Dance Video and Best Editing. If there had been an award for Best Actor in a Video, I'm pretty sure they would have won that too. Congratulations, The Shoes!

My review of Skyfall is now up on MovieBrit!

*Emergency post* Jake Gyllenhaal - the Guardian's Top Gun

Today's Guardian has been well and truly Jake Gyllenhaaled....

Click and they shall be embeginned. For a better look at the words do read the interview over at the Guardian and always remember: if you're going to lend someone your jacket, check their bedbug situation first....

Jake Gyllenhaal in conversation about his career - and on his way to the UK!

These are busy days for Jake Gyllenhaal, what with plays, movie promotion, hurricanes, elections, but this week he made time to sit down with The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg for a full forty minutes, to discuss his career and his future choices. After a couple of years in which it appeared as if Jake was uncertain about how to develop his career, the doubt now seems gone and the drive is back. We're lucky to have it all on video. You can watch it at the end of this link or below.



Jake coming to the UK!

There is some good news for Jake's fans on this side of the pond - it looks like the busy play schedule is not going to stop Jake popping over for the Graham Norton Show for the release of End of Watch on 23 November. Hopefully, we'll have more details of that shortly.

Jake and the election

Meanwhile, you may have noticed that there was an election in the United States this week. We all know how important voting (and the Democrat cause) are to Jake. He took time out on Election Day to speak to Stephanie Miller on her radio show about his beliefs:

Jake Gyllenhaal video update - plus Viola Davis joins Prisoners

Tonight is Bonfire Night - I therefore want to apologise in advance for any typoes caused by me leaping out of my skin when the neighbours let off yet another rocket. Time for a quick message from our sponsor...

Prisoners is growing by the week. This week it was revealed that Viola Davis - fresh from appearing in Won't Back Down with Maggie Gyllenhaal - is joining Jake, Hugh Jackman, Melissa Leo and Paul Dano. Good to also hear that plans are afoot to sell the movie to international distributors this week.

Meanwhile If There Is... continues to grab attention. The play is in full swing again after Hurricane Sandy with Jake back to handing out hugs. Yesterday Jake and co-star Brian O'Byrne spoke with NY1 about the play. Thanks to IHJ for the link.



Jake's latest movie End of Watch has yet to reach many of us and so the buzz is still buzzing. In this article, Jake and Michael Pena chat about director David Ayer's manner of praise and Michael marvels at Jake's intense appreciation for yoghurt.

'"His response to liking something is, 'That didn't suck,'" Jake laughed. Michael added: "'That sucked less.' Or, 'Do some other sh*t.' In rehearsals too, he was really rough."' The two actors added they nicknamed the script talks with David 'Poison Meetings' as he was always so open with them. He was never afraid to pull them up on things which weren't quite right, with both men admitting the movie is better for it. '"They really worked. They got you motivated," Michael said. "They'd usually come after sparring, after we'd gone home and showered quickly or whatever."'

[Jake introducing End of Watch to UK audiences]

'Michael worked hard to stay in shape for the movie. Jake didn't have to work out quite so much and wasn't always thoughtful when it came to his co-star's diet. "Remember dude, with your [frozen yoghurt] when you were like, 'Mmmm! Oh my God, it's so good! Mike, you want some?’" Michael laughed. Jake giggled: "Then I said, 'You wanna go for a run later?'"'

And finally...

A reminder of sunnier, warmer, less beardy days...

Prisoners gets a poster and an If There Is update, including a letter from Jake Gyllenhaal

Apologies for the lack of updates over the last week. This is because I am still ill in bed with a very nasty and stubborn bout of the flu. As a result, I do recommend you don't get too close to the blog this evening for this brief update.

It's been quite a week of the NE United States, including New York City. You won't be surprised to learn that the New Eyes for the Needy event to honour Jake Gyllenhaal was postponed from Monday evening. Devastating hurricanes will do that. If There Is... was also cancelled briefly but resumed a couple of days later. Talking of If There Is, big thanks to BBMISwear for sending me scans of these two pieces of Roundabout Theatre post she received, including a letter from Jake. That's what I call post...

Jake's forthcoming movie Prisoners might not be made yet - not even a little bit - but it already has a poster to go with its release date of 20 September 2013. Source. Thanks to Mermon for the link.

Special good wishes to all those of you who were caught up in the horrendous storm on Monday night.