'Thank you for filming with us!' - A day as an extra on the set of Nailed - Nicole's story

If ever you wanted proof that Nailed is up and running again and Jake is back at work, this should do the trick. Nicole, our eyes and ears on the ground in Columbia, South Carolina, had the amazing opportunity to not only watch Jake Gyllenhaal at work on Nailed but to be a part of the project, as one of its extras.


Nicole answered an advert calling for locals to turn up on set at the State House yesterday (Saturday) in their Sunday best and she was one of the lucky ones. She got a seat in the State House for a big scene involving most of the major characters and was able to observe Jake and David Russell at work. Jake, it seems, held things up by making people laugh - a story we're well familiar with from most of Jake's movies. cameras were banned from the set but Nicole and all the other extras were given a reward:


Here are excerpts from Nicole's account, for which I am very grateful. We are very lucky to share her glimpse into that extraordinary place otherwise known as The Nailed Set. Not only did Nicole get to see Jake, she also got three meals and $125 for a lot of hours spent hanging around - I do hope the money was paid upfront...

'We got to the statehouse around 9:30 in the morning. It turns out it didn't start until about 11:30 (it was a 100 degrees outside) so we got to the set and we went up to the casting lady. My friend's outfit was approved by wardrobe but mine wasn't (I was wearing black dress pants and a nice blouse but it had a weird pattern to it) so the wardrobe lady told me what kind of outfit they were looking for and so I called my mom and she brought me a couple of outfits. The lady approved the first one I picked out. So then I started getting really excited!'


Setting the scene

'There were so many squaw girls (girl scouts) and congressmen and woman. We ate breakfast - they had all kinds of food - biscuits,eggs, and the traditional stuff like that. So then it was finally time to go inside the statehouse! The statehouse is three floors - the first floor is where the parents and extras stayed when they weren't in the scenes. The second floor was where Jake and Jessica were and the their floor is where I was. But it was a balcony so I could see the filming very close below us as we were supposed to be watching them down there. So I was on the third floor where there were rows of seats to sit in. Luckily I was right behind a guy who had a speaking line so if they show him you will definitely see me!'


The scene

'The whole cast is in the scene and Jessica Biel is speaking to the congress. She starts acting 'erratic'. She just starts going crazy and saying all these crazy things. It's kind of hard to explain but she falls on top of this congresswoman and puts her hand up and we are supposed to clap. Before that happened she said something about Romanians. The guy in front me shouts something in Romanian and then later in the scene walks out. So if you see the Romanian guy, I'm right behind him! Anyways, Jake is below the balcony so we couldn't see him until he walked over to Jessica and kinda hugs her. James Marsden and Tracy Morgan were on the same floor as me so they were really close!'


More details of the scene

'From the balcony 3 squaws, Kurt Fuller, Tracy Morgan, Malinda Williams, James Marsden, followed by a couple of other girl squaws, walk in from the balcony. I'm guessing that, since they are all from Indiana, they came all the way to Washington to see Jessica to support her. Jessica and Jake are at the bottom of the balcony. When Tracy and the whole gang walk in, they start waving to Jessica. They wave and smile and James Marsden does all this funny stuff like he blows her a kiss and draws a heart in the air. Then they start waving at Howard (Jake's character) and saying 'Hi Howard!' (At the this point since we were in the balcony we couldn't see Jake because he was right under us.) So then I am guessing Catherine Keener's role (not sure if that was her or not) was the representative at the microphone. Tracy then says 'You let the other hot girls talk, why not Alice' (there were two other women also next to Jessica, whom Jake had something to do with - they called them 'hussies').'


'Catherine Keener gave Jessica one minute to speak. Jessica starts talking crazily and saying 'Do you think its cool? No, it's not cool!' (that she got a nail in her head) and then James would shout 'Not cool'. Then she would fall on a congresswoman and put her fist in the air and everyone would start clapping. Jake finally runs over to her - and he spoke so softly I didn't really know if he said anything - then he helped Jessica up and he had his arms around her and he kept looking at her. Finally, Catherine Keener would say that the bill for healthcare was lost again (I guess that's what they were there for since I found out that Tracy Morgan's character, Jessica Biel's character, and Kurt Fuller's character all have weird injuries - Jessica has the nail in her head, Tracy has something wrong with his butt, and Kurt has something wrong I'm thinking with his private part). Then, as Jake and Jessica are walking away, Jessica faints.'


Jake on set

'Jake was under the balcony, so it was really hard to see his character most of the time but I did see him during breaks. Jake was texting and he also asked about the horse race yesterday. At the end of the day, Jake was helping Tracy, James, and the gang with their lines and he even made the little girls laugh (as well as me). There's a line in the movie where, I think, some people say 'You monster' to Jake's character and they couldn't get it right and Jake starts yelling 'You monster' in funny ways. The director told him to stop making everyone laugh (at that point it was 12:30 in the morning and i know the girls were tired so I thought it was great how Jake, Tracy, James were interacting with the girls and making them laugh). Jake was wearing the exact same suit he has been wearing and they were all wearing the same outfits.'


David Russell

'David, I thought, was in a good mood in the morning. He was joking around with the cast. I didn't see any problems with him today. At the end of the day, I know he was getting tired - he was cussing a little bit in front of the girls but, overall, I thought it was a good day.'


A long day

'Jake passed by me about five times in the hallway. Once, while I was sitting on the steps and he was coming down. We ate lunch/dinner at 7 pm - the food was fried chicken, mashed potatotes, salad, corn on the cob and cake for dessert (I guess you could say it was the typical southern meal). We were there until 1:30 in the morning! The congressmen and women had to stay longer. Jake was still in his trailer so I don't know if he was done shooting for the day.'


Many congratulations Nicole for your big day (not to mention, sharing the big screen with Jake, however briefly) and a huge thanks for sharing your day with the rest of us!

Includes pictures from Nicole, IHJ, Flickr and FitsNews.

Jake in white and blowing bubbles - at the Nailed set, Tuesday 13 May

If further proof were needed that the Nailed production is back at work, then we have it. Yesterday, Nicole, our very own eagle scout in South Carolina, came across the set in Columbia, now relocated from the Statehouse to a local park. And whereas a couple of weeks ago the set was a funeral, this time it was a wedding. Jake Gyllenhaal's character Howard was the best man, dressed in a fine white suit and bow tie and enthusiastically blowing bubbles throughout the scene - as one does at a posh bash.

Although Nicole herself wasn't able to get a photo of the scene, another lucky person was able to and so here is an image to go with Nicole's description.


Nicole saw all of the members of the cast there, with Tracy Morgan the likely groom, Jessica Biel the matron of honour and James Marsden in full uniform. And, while the kind crew gave Nicole and her friend popsicles, Jake enjoyed a break from filming by swinging on a swingbench. Thanks, Nicole!


We don't often see Jake in a white suit so above is another gorgeous example - thanks for the suggestion, Pia. The suit below isn't really white at all, I just like it - and it's not black.


Pictures from IHJ, GQ and link.

Jake Gyllenhaal in Action - a report from Nailed's State House

Thanks so much to WDW reader Lisa, who not only got the chance to spend time with Nicole and other Jake fans in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday, she also got to see Jake Gyllenhaal himself. But more than that and luckily for us, Lisa's daughter is one of the 'squaws' and is filming today inside the State House - a report on that will follow. In the meantime, here is Lisa's account of her visit to the Nailed set and the wonderful hours spent watching Jake in action. You will enjoy this, it's a great account - here we have Jake hugs, blue eyes, the constant battle by Jake to give the brollywielders the slip - and some Jake stripping, yep, Jake stripping. Over to Lisa...


'Yes, it's true. I drove the two hours to Columbia yesterday [Monday], and hung out at the State House, and watched the filming of Nailed. I had arranged to meet two fellow Gyllenhaalics there (hi, Barbara! hi, Nicole!) to see what we could see at the State House. We were very lucky. What they filmed yesterday was an outdoor sequence taking place on the back steps of the State House. So we got to see a lot of Jake in action.'


'They began shortly after 9, which was great for me as I didn't get there till around 9. The grounds of the State House are rather park-like, sorta like the US Capitol but not as grand. As I walked up from the street, the very first thing I saw was a HORDE of little girls, all dressed in these bright blue girl-scoutish uniforms. They were standing in a loose formation and were WAY more well-behaved and calm than one would expect of a gaggle of girls. I'd say there were 80-100 of them.'


'At this point I was on the phone with Barbara trying to find her and Nicole. I said to Barbara, "I see some woman on the steps with an orange dress on." That turned out to be Jessica Biel. As I walked up, Barbara said, "Jake's on the steps too." And there he was. This was some distance from where we were standing, but there was no mistaking him. I could tell from his posture; he just has a distinct way of standing with his head forward that maybe some of y'all have noticed too. He was in a dress shirt and tie. Of course he's playing a Congressman so he was naturally going to be dressed up. They began filming shortly thereafter. It'd take me all day to describe everything in a narrative, so here are just some random memories:'


1. The scene.

'They filmed one solitary scene all day long. It was Jake, with Jessica on his arm, starting up the steps, with the troop of girls and their leaders following behind. Also in the group was James Marsden and Tracy Morgan and some other "name" actors whose names we couldn't recall. Anyhow, they started up the steps and then reporters would come and yell questions to Jake, who spoke as he walked. Then at one point Jessica would reach out and pull the hair on the back of Jake's head and he would holler out. And then they would keep going on up to the doors of the State House, then they'd yell "cut" and go back and do it, or a variation of it, all over again. This went on ALL DAY. (Well, I had to leave at lunchtime, but B and N say that's the only scene they did in the afternoon too.)'


2. Jake viewing.

'Well, he was glorious. I made it my business to follow him, at an angle and at what I hope was a respectful distance, all day. When they took a break and he went to his trailer, we'd head over that way. When he moved over to a break area they had on a kind of terrace on the steps, we'd wander over there. Of course one could not get that close while they were actually working. I think the closest I got was as he returned from a very short break; I think I may have been 15-20 feet away. He looked in my direction though not directly at me. His eyes are THAT blue. On breaks, he would not tarry. He'd hurry right over to his trailer.'


3. Jake working.

'Jake seemed to be the jolliest, most animated of the main actors. He would chat with the crew and his co-stars between takes. At one point he was getting hugs from some of the little girls in blue, which was absolutely precious. He chatted with Marsden a time or two, and a little bit with Jessica. But though Jake seemed chatty and friendly, he was also 100% professional. They'd yell "rolling" and he'd snap to. He seems so comfortable in front of the camera. Well, they all did. I guess that's why they're stars.'


4. The other stars.

'It took us ages to figure out that that was really James Marsden, who plays Jessica's original love interest in the movie (before she gets the nail in her head). He was in full Indiana State Trooper gear, and had a mustache. He also seemed very at ease. He smiled and waved at Nicole later on. In the scene, he gets to shout out "Booyah!" and he did it a million times that day, just great every time. Jessica Biel walked not 6 feet from us at one point. She was wearing this bright tomato-colored dress and some shoes that I personally thought were an unfortunate choice, but hey, I'm not the wardrobe person. She is pretty, and obviously works out; she was totally working that sleeveless dress with her well-toned arms. She was not as chatty as Jake, but she seemed totally professional.'


5. Tracy Morgan.

'He is apparently playing one of the den leaders of that gaggle of girls. He had on a bright blue jogging suit the same color as their uniforms. I think he has the best agent in the bunch. Here's why: EVERY single time they yelled "cut!" within 10 seconds one of the crew were there with a folding chair for Tracy to sit on. I am thinking that the first clause of his contract had to say that he got a chair within 10 seconds, or the film company would be in breach. No one else--not Jake, not Jessica, no one--was off their feet that much. Or maybe Tracy just wasn't feeling well or had a foot injury.'


6. The vibe.

'It was a beautiful day in Columbia. By the time I left it was about 80-83 degrees. We were able to stand in the shade most of the time, and there was the occasional breeze. There are various state office buildings on the State House grounds, and people would come out to watch the filming for a bit, then go back in to work (mental note: write my state senator about the breaks these people take on the taxpayers' dime). The University of SC surrounds the State House, so lots of students finishing up exams would drift by.'


7. The crew.

'These people work hard. There must have been 200 crew people with radios. They all seemed to have a very important purpose and to fill a very important role. We were standing near a young blonde woman who was doing a great job of keeping people from wandering into the shot. I particularly respected the guy with a megaphone who seemed to be in charge of the girls. He'd say, "Don't run, ladies!" when you just knew he wanted to scream, "STOP!!" Jake's assistant was an Asian woman who was always hovering around. The crew were always on the move, bringing water and gatorade and muffins and fruit to the kids, and iced coffee and god knows what else to the grownups. I think it looks like a fun job. It can't be very different from what I do all day anyhow.'


8. The umbrellas.

'I would not have believed this if I had not seen it myself. As I said, it was a beautiful day in Columbia. It was a pleasant temperature early on, but as it got warmer, all the crew people started walking around with golf umbrellas with which to protect the stars from the sun. Every single crew person seemed to have one. When they yelled "cut!" someone would be over Jessica with a 'brella, and someone would be over Tracy with one. Jake kept wandering away from his! If a star headed to the trailers, there would be someone accompanying them with a 'brella. It was bizarre.'


9. The girls in blue.

'Three cheers for those kids. They were all extras, but they were true pros. Barbara got there at 8 a.m., and she said the girls were already there and dressed when she arrived. They stood in the sun waiting for direction, and when someone said "rolling" they were ready to go. They followed Jake and Jessica walking three abreast, with each row of three holding hands. When they yelled "cut" the girls would turn around and go back and wait patiently. Sometimes some of them would walk over to the bathrooms and miss a take, but they'd get right back in formation for the next one. One adorable little girl fell and skinned both knees. There was a "medic" who looks like he'd wandered over from a Deadhead convention; and he very kindly fixed her up. The moms were all sitting way back out of the shot.'


10. JAKE STRIPS!

'If you've read this far, you deserve this important visual. When there was a break of more than a few minutes, Jake would usually remove his suit jacket. Then for about an hour before lunch, they started rehearsing shooting the same scene but from a different angle. Jake started out these rehearsals fully dressed. Then after a few times, off came the jacket. A few more times, and the tie got loosened. A few more times, and tie got untied altogether and was just hanging around his neck like a stole. Then the dress shirt got untucked. THEN the dress shirt got UNBUTTONED!!! and by the time they broke for lunch, the shirt was off; and Jake headed for his trailer in his sweaty undershirt. We were eager for him to get out of the dress slacks too, but no. Anyhow, it was kind of cool. He never seemed to complain; he just kept taking things off to get comfortable.' [WDW: Note to future directors: ensure at all times Jake feels comfortable but hot.]


'Had I been able to stay, I'd have got an autograph. But it was enough to be close to him and to get to watch him work. I don't know if I'll get to go back. I'm STILL waiting to see if they call my kids. But if I don't get to see him ever again in person, at least I'll have these memories.'

Thanks so much to you, Lisa, for sharing this with us, and I can't wait to hear how you and your lucky girl got on today.


The Gyllengaards in NYC

So good to see pictures of this family together: Peter, Maggie and Ramona out in New York City this week. Unfortunately, this does mean that the UK has lost Peter, but hopefully not for too long.


Jake back in LA?

A sighting puts Jake (and Reese) back in Los Angeles - or Santa Monica to be precise - and he was in shopping mode, 'buying jeans and sweaters at Club Monaco'.


Includes pictures from IHJ, FITSnews and links.

Jake and Reese on set - octopus and snails - superhero fashion

More pictures have emerged from Monday 5 May of Jake Gyllenhaal and guest Reese on the set of Nailed. It's looking beautifully sunny but has no-one ever warned Jake of the risks of sitting on grass in the hot sunshine, without the benefit of a chequered blanket, a Fortnum and Mason's hamper, a wine cooler and a game of cricket?




But just in case one might think that it was all sitting around yesterday and that no work was done on Nailed, here are some pictures which show the scene that was shot over and over that day - with Jake and Jessica Biel leading a line of girl scouts up and down the Statehouse steps. There's a chance - and I may be very wrong of course - that, in the last of these pictures, that's James Marsden in his uniform (thanks very much, friend, for the link to these pictures).






Jake and Reese were spotted out on Sunday eating at Zaytinya's in the US capital. The Washington Post supplies a few more details: 'They split the octopus and the lamb, but he had the snail all to himself, since she didn't touch it. Emilio Estevez showed up later with a party of 12 but never intersected with his Hollywood compatriots.' This site has never shyed away from food and culinary adventure, but I have to draw breathe at the idea of octopus and snail - I take my hat off to you, Jake.


Looking at the seafood mezze menu, I'm wondering if they were eating the Cretan snails, sauteed in a garlic broth with ouzo and parsley, and the Octopus Santorini, comprising baby octopus, marinated onions, capers and yellow split pea puree. This would be fine, but I am unable to eat food that is cute (or orange, but that's another story).


Meanwhile...Superhero fashion

While Jake was at work in South Carolina yesterday, his sister Maggie attended the fittingly named Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Maggie didn't have Peter with her, unfortunately, but she made up for it with an amazing dress by another Peter (Som), who escorted her to the event. One could hide a lot of booty in the folds of that dress.



Pictures from links and Getty Images.

Nicole does it again! Jake and Reese on the set of Nailed, Monday 5 May

Well she did it again! Nicole got her reward for hanging around the statehouse for nine hours - in glorious warm sunshine by the look of it - and got to see and talk to Jake Gyllenhaal again at the Columbia state house on the set of Nailed. Alarmingly, the shoot that day comprised endless reshoots of Jake having his hair pulled by Jessica Biel, making Jake repeatedly scream. Clearly we are not the only ones to disapprove of the Congressman Cut.


Congratulations Nicole - and, as if seeing Jake, James Marsden and Jessica Biel wasn't enough, Reese was also there, looking like she was enjoying that brilliant sunshine. Thanks very much, Nicole, for sending us the pictures and the videos (at the end of the post) and letting us share in the amazing experience!







Jake had been in too much of a rush to sign an autograph first thing, but after nine hours, seeing she was still there, Nicole ('with a c?') got an autograph thanking her for her patience. As if any wait is too long to see Mr Gyllenhaal...


Nicole managed to grab some short videos - here are the links - video 1, video 2, video 3 and video 4 of James Marsden. Nicole was also lucky enough to get a couple of pictures of James in full uniform.



Pictures and videos from Nicole.