Wet Dark and Wild: Alison Hammond

Some people have argued that Jake has never looked more stunning than he did during those hot summer May days at Cannes. Watching this video may well back this up. Recorded in the same setting as the well-loved Happy Birthday Cannes and Self-Portrait interviews, this video shows Jake Gyllenhaal discussing Zodiac's script but also Richard Kelly, who had directed Jake in Donnie Darko and whose film Southland Tales had recently been released. For me, what stands out from this interview is Jake's pride in having been a part of such a movie as Donnie Darko which, here, Jake describes as generation-defining. Although the concept of Jake actually being refused entry to a club is less easy to fathom. Fortunately, there is always a Donnie Darko fan ready to come to Jake's rescue. You also have to ignore the hard-to-ignore fact that Jake is referred to as Jack in this interview...

As far as Zodiac goes, Jake describes the difference between the first and second scripts for the film - the first pre-David Fincher and second post. The first 'really kind of blew my mind and then the next draft was much more procedural and very like - my head was sort of throbbing after I finished it... One was a terrifying murder story and the next became something much different.' Jake describes David as a great visualist but also 'I think he's really funny and I don't think he's afraid... He'll go as far as the Zodiac killer.' 'I think that the Zodiac killer exists in all our minds and I think that's probably the most powerful, the most dangerous place that he exists.'

Jake says that he has yet to see Richard Kelly's Southland Tales but that he's really keen to. Richard is 'an amazing filmmaker, a real mind for our generation, it's our generation, and our's, you know... And the funny thing about that is I can tell you that because no matter where I go, there's always one guy or one girl like... if you're at a club and somebody won't let you in, it's like 'Oh no, that's Donnie Darko! That's cool! Come on in! I love that movie!' One person always - no matter where you go, in one room or around some area, there's like a huge Donnie Darko fan and I feel like they are the generation - they are my generation and that feels... and that's a great feeling.'

It interests me to hear Jake discuss his generation. Jake has described how proud he is of his generation for being so receptive to Brokeback Mountain and Jarhead: 'I mean, to me the movies I've been in are full of interesting ambiguity. It's really nice to know that audiences are responding to an ambiguity, like they're not always wanting something always totally clear and spoon-fed. People I've seen, my generation, you know, I feel like they're really responding to it, and it's really cool.'

When Jake appeared in Vogue in 2004, he listed the things that he believed identified his generation: 'People who were moved when Kurt Cobain died, slap bracelets, Jenga, CHiPs in syndication.' The movies listed comprised The Matrix, Being John Malkovich, Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 'which is about being able to love and how actually hard it is to really do that. It may be easy for other people, but it's hard for me; I cried like a fucking baby.'

Jake's list makes interesting reading. Kurt Cobain died in the spring of 1994, when Jake was only 13, but these events can leave their mark. But no wonder then that Jake was so taken by the ITN interviewer's pink snap bracelet in Cannes (I'm pleased to say I've since relocated my own) and it sounds like he could be a worthy contender at Jenga, although admittedly I have never played that sober so I doubt I have yet shown my full potential. Note how I'm glossing over CHiPs. I'm also going to gloss over Being John Malkovich, which makes me want to throw things at the TV.

While we're discussing, kind of, magazines, a few days ago I posted a picture of Jake with Alison Lohman and I was asked where this was from. Thanks, as always, to I Heart Jake, here is the answer - the October/November 2003 issue of Teen Vogue and the pictures were taken in London.

Brothers update

Another eye witness account today of untowardly things going on in the streets of Los Alamos. 'The week started with a meeting in Los Alamos on Monday night under strange circumstances. The church secretary warned me that Canyon Road, the route I usually take in front of the church, was barricaded off “for the movie.” I had been reading about the filming of “Brothers,” with Jake Gyllenhaal and others (I remember his name best because of that double a, Swedish I think in his case, but so like Estonian), but my impression from the Santa Fe New Mexican was that it was being filmed in Santa Fe. Coming down Rose Street, I saw a group of people huddled outside the church, some wearing military uniforms, and bright BRIGHT lights focused on the sanctuary’s stained glass windows, another bright light on the other side in Canyon Road. As the church secretary had warned me, the west side of the parking lot was full of trucks containing electronic equipment. But there were spaces left where I usually park. I had to walk through and past that clutch of extras on the sidewalk. They looked at me strangely, but it seemed to me they were the strange ones, in costumes of some decades back I think, although it was fairly dark. In any case, not the kind of thing I’ve seen recently in Los Alamos.I was informed by the others in my meeting that the filming has been in various places around Los Alamos, perturbing traffic.' We are so lucky to get to hear these little tidbits.

Personal Moment

Jake's 2007 TV appearances have left their impression on many of us and I'm sure we all have our favourites. For Nadine and Rosie, it was This Morning, which featured Jake being taken on by that most glorious of Brummies Alison Hammond, who kept her pens in her cleavage and managed to get Jake to pucker up. She also got Jake to say 'mascara', which is one of my favourite words. These were the biggest laughs we saw from Jake on the entire interview circuit for Rendition.

Rosie loved it because 'I have never met Jake and feel that I am seeing a bit of the ‘real’ Jake here in this. Alison, surprised Jake initially with her ‘in your face’ style, but this interview showed that no matter how shocked, Jake comes up trumps. He played to her style, and showed a very playful side of his personality, giggling from start to finish. There were so many crazy moments in this interview. At times I don’t think Jake could believe it, being asked for a kiss, playing quick on the draw, where Jake had to guess what films Alison was drawing, being told Alison hit George Clooney on his behalf. But my favourite moment, was when Jake said to Alison that he liked older women, and she asked if she had any hope, he replied, “ There’s always hope, because I know where you keep your pens” and then sat there with this beautifully expectant look on his face, as he waited for her to fall in. The thing that made this funny was, Alison keeps her pens down her top by her ample bosom. And Jake had seen - and let her know it. The look on his face as he awaits her realisation is priceless, and the laugh he gives when she realises, is the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever seen him do.'

Nadine: 'I loved the fact that she brought out Jake's flirty side ("I know where you keep you pens"), gave him the Gyllengiggles and gave a succinct summing up of "Rendition" (after all,the point of the interview) while allowing Jake to have some fun (a jet-lagged Jake stumbled through a hilarious cartoon"film quiz" through his back catalogue), after he'd stopped being mildly terrified as to what this gloriously loose cannon of an interviewer was about to subject him. It was wonderful,too, to see Alison,who isn't normally wrong-footed or intimidated by her "victim", no matter how famous they might be,getting totally tongue-tied for a moment, dazzled by how gorgeous Jake was in the flesh (even with the beard), which prompted her to blurt out that "you're quite fit in real life,aren't you?!" Utterly priceless!'

By contrast, Nadine also pulled out The Culture Show interview by Frank Gardner, recorded the same day. 'I can still see the look of surprise and admiration on Jake's face when Frank explained how he came to be there in his wheelchair, shot while reporting in the cauldron of the Middle East, upon which he is an expert. Faced with such a brave and erudite inquisitor, Jake was obviously engaged and animated, given the opportunity to discuss Rendition with a man who has faced the difficulties, dangers and dilemmas of the region for real, rather than on film (albeit a very intense,gripping and sometimes excruciatingly realistic interpretation of a very tangled and topical situation). For me,the juxtaposition of these two very different interviews gives a memorable insight into Jake's intelligence, humour and complexity of character - as well as being infinitely watchable because, even with that damned beard, he's so very, very easy on the eye!'