Jake Gyllenhaal catch up - Everest and Enemy

Enemy is now showing to some good reviews across parts of the world, although it's been accompanied by some less good news for Everest. It's release ate has been postponed from February to September 2015. While it will give us the novel experience of a 3D Jake Gyllenhaal, it will be a shame to have to wait an extra seven months. There are more details here. The other Everest news is that it now has two more cast members - Robin Wright and Sam Worthington. This means that Everest will now feature my most favourite actor and my least favourite! This might mean that I have to watch it with one eye closed. More on the casting here.



Talking of Enemy, there is an interview here with its actress Sarah Gadon, which I haven't read as it has spoilers. In this interview with Denis Villeneuve, the director tells us it's perfectly all right to be confused by Enemy. It also contains a great bit from Denis about working with Jake:

'I was looking for an actor, I was looking for a strong actor, English actor — Anglophone, I mean, an English-speaking actor — I was looking for somebody profound, somebody that would have the strength, the ability, the creativity [to take on the role]. And I had seen him in Donnie Darko. I knew that he was playful, willing to do strange things. I knew that he was a strong actor because of Brokeback Mountain. He blew me away how strong he was, I think that is one of the most beautiful performances of the decade, what he did in that film. So difficult and so precise. I love Jake in Jarhead… every time I had seen him on the screen, I was fascinated. I was starting the casting, I learned that he was available, so I took a chance. I just took a chance. I wrote him a big, long letter, sending him the script. And he invited me to drink a glass of wine with him in New York, and we drank the whole bottle, and it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I think what interested Jake in the project was not so much the story, but the process. What we will try to do with this movie.'

There is another clip from Enemy here.

I am off to Italy for a week tomorrow so I'll catch up with you properly when I'm back! Have a good week!

Eureka's report! Jake Gyllenhaal premieres Enemy in Madrid and Eureka was there to see it!

Nothing gives me more pleasure on this site than when friends and readers get to see Jake Gyllenhaal in person as he goes about promoting his movies. I am so grateful, too, for the time that they take in sharing the story with the rest of us. Last night, Jake Gyllenhaal premiered Enemy at the Palafox Cinema in Madrid and I'm delighted to say that longtime WDW reader Eureka was there! As well as watching Jake introduce the movie, Eureka was also there for the photocall. The photos here are by Eureka - and such good ones, too. No sign of the earthquake that usually hits when I try and take photos of Jake - and the words below are also Eureka's. So, I hope you are sitting comfortably.

Eureka's report

Yesterday was such a busy and fun day for me.

Jake was back to Madrid to present Enemy the movie. From the moment I knew I would have the chance to see him live again I was really excited and looking forward to see him my secod time. Last time and my first time ever was in April 2011. See here and on WDW.

This time I won 2 tickets to see the movie and see him presenting it. I took my sister with me. She's not a Gyllenhaal fan. But she was there to support me. And have a fun time.

I arrived really early to the cinema and there was already a queue of photographers and many girls awaiting.

Finally they let the photographers come in and I was let in after asking. Again waited inside the cinema for Jake to arrive. In them mean time some girls commented whether if Jake would come with full bear or maybe clean shaven, had he cut his hair....? Fun to hear all those comments. Others were profesional photographers and were more interested in whether he would arrive on time or not. Cause it was late in the day. Of course I didn't mind the waiting....

Then we heard the cheer outdoors and see the cameras flashes lights. And we knew he was here. When he entered the corridor first he stopped with the TV reporters and spend a good time with them answering their questions. I took some blurry photos. Awaiting for him to move down the line to the photocall spot. He was fully bearded (bad luck for me good luck for others) and with a hair bun. 

When he moved there, one guy organizer warned the photographers (me :o) too) that he had some ailment in his eyes and that they should shoot for photos 3 secs and then stop and then go at it again. I think this can explain why some tweeps commented on him looking sad or tired. Nevertheless he was so charming and handsome as I remembered him. I did my best with the camera. Photo session was so short...... He wore a very nice blue suit and the brown shoes. I couldn't help but smile... Some of you reading this (Gyllenfriends) you know why...

Then I run into the cinema room where my sister had kept me a place. Both the spanish movie producer (Miguel Angel Faura) and script writer (Javier Gullón) were already in the movie theatre stage and introduced themselves. They introduced a video with Denis Villeneuve I captured. Soo funy. And right after the video there came Jake down one of the theatre aisles up the stairs to the stage.

He had really warm and thankful words for the spanish movie team and the producers. And said, as you will see in the video, that is movie was his best work ever.

He moved on to say this was one of the strangest movies he had ever made. And I couldn't help it and yelled 'Donnie Darko' and he replied 'Yes, that one too'. Hey! he replied to me.

[Updated to add a link to the video]

Later he said he did not know which character we would identify more with if Adam or Anthony. Perhaps Anthony was more likeable for us Spaniards and here I went again I yelled 'Yesss', and he laughed, and audience laughed. So yes basically I was the only one in the audince saying something to him. Ha,Ha. Really I felt like I was having a conversation with me. Sounds crazy, but hey. I'm a die hard fan. As many as you are. And my only occasion to interact with him, even if it was in this ackward way and he couldn't see me in the darkness of the room. It sure felt good! Now you all know my lovely voice. ;o)

I won't comment about the movie as so many of you have not had the chance yet to see it. I'll just say is worth to watch but hard to get...

Bye Jake! See you soon in Madrid again.

And I didn't want to end this chronicle without remembering a very dear Gyllenfriend, whom I miss so much and would have been so excited for me like you: Marzena AKA Mermon in the internet.

Thanks so much, Eureka, and here's to the next time!

*UPDATED* Jake Gyllenhaal on Strombo Tonight, plus more interviews and details on the filming of Everest

Updated to add the video!



How wonderful to hear Jake talk about Brokeback Mountain again.

Also, thanks so much to IHJ for this video from the set of Enemy



Jake Gyllenhaal gave the Oscars a miss this year. Although this meant that he couldn't be part of the attempt to break Twitter or to deal out the pizza, it did mean he was free to continue making a potential future nominee, Everest. This Wednesday, though, Jake's appearance on the 'George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight' show airs. There are details here and there are also a couple of clips, which can be seen in this post.

Last week, was featured in a substantial interview with IndieWire, in which Jake talked about his craft and evolution as an actor as well as the impact of his Villeneuve collaborations on his career. Enemy might be getting a small release but it's a loud one, I'm glad to say.

Filming Enemy presented an entirely new challenge for Jake - having to be two people: 'Every day was an experiment in those kinds of emotions. And when I acted with myself, Denis set aside three days for the first time we meet each other to really discover that. We would discover during the day what was going on. We would start on one side and we would shoot that side, and I felt a little more comfortable playing Adam, the professor character, because he was more of a solid guy and so I'd play that. We would just play man.'

And Jake on the actor he has become: 'I've become a lot more obsessed with the specificity of characters and like you said, my work, the choices I make, also being on stage was a really big evolution for me. Getting back on stage last year, I will again next year, to me, being a part of... I don't know... I just feel more alive in what I'm doing.'

'I can't explain it in any way, except the relationships I make with the people I make movies with matters to me the most and how we interact. I'm about to go do this movie about Everest with Baltasar Kormakur, directing the movie, and I know the relationship we have there, like, we will explore. I will listen to him and what he needs and then I'll go into unknown territory for him as a result. I don't now what that's about. I don't know what happened. I just know I went like, "Oh, now's the time." There's no other time but now to go do it. I'm going to make a bold choice and if someone doesn't want it they can cut it out.' You can read the rest, here. 

Jake has also been talking to W about his first cinema crush!

Updated to add: Thanks to Leslie for the heads up for this audio interview with Jake at Q. You can listen to it here.

Everest

Meanwhile, Clive Standen has been talking about filming Everest in the Dolomites: 'We've been working on it for about three weeks now - we've been filming right at the top of the Dolomites at minus 20 celsius and it's tough but it's lots of fun. Lots of men stuck up a mountain and helicopters and we've been doing lots of mountaineering and climbing training. I think it's going to be a good one." He added: "I just finished doing some scenes with Josh Brolin and he's a joy to work with. He's a fantastic actor and I feel really lucky to be a part of this project."' This beautiful set photo is from Clive's Twitter feed.

Everest's producer Tim Bevan has also been talking about the logistics of the film to Empire. Hopefully, we'll hear much more soon.