Jake - 'I try very hard to enjoy everything I can about this kind of life'

Thanks to our fellow Gyllenheads - that's a new one - at Page Six, who asked Jake's rep what we all wanted to know, we now know that Jake's left ankle injury isn't serious and that he got it playing basketball.


'Oh no! What's wrong with our Jakey? Why is he wearing a cast?! These were the shouts of concern running rampant in the PageSix.com HQ this morning, once these pics of Reese Witherspoon at the farmers' market in Santa Monica, Calif., with a clearly injured Jake Gyllenhaal — who is something of an office favorite — floated across our desks. But you can rest easy Gyllen-heads, because he of the puppy-dog eyes will be back in fighting form next week, his rep assures us. "Just a minor thing, he sprained his ankle playing basketball," she tells PageSix.com. Guess we can recall the bodyguard resume we sent over to his apartment today, huh?'


So, maybe Jake should have a rest from doing that and stick to more placid outdoor activities, such as playing the trumpet, or playing chess with his shirt off.



Fabric Jake

Last October, I spent many a day touring the upmarket estate agents of London searching for that month's free property Fabric magazine to no avail. And I wasn't the only one. Fortunately, a kind contributor to IHJ has produced a transcript of the interview, in which Jake has some interesting things to say about the nature of fame and his experiences of love and acting, and how he lives between the performances.


“Love is one of the most intense and fantastic experiences we can ever have... When I fall in love, I won’t let anything get in my way when it comes to expressive my love.” “Love is a complex thing. There are times when it’s bigger than you. Who knows how we all end up and who we end up with? I’m not one to say. I believe there are many people you can truly love in your life. Well, maybe not many, but definitely more than one.”


“I love being able to step into a character’s head and live in that world for a while... You find yourself floating in this strange space that comes with making a movie. It’s real and not real. And I’m sure that explains why a lot of actors lead twisted lives. I try very hard to enjoy everything I can about this kind of life… but there’s a whole other world out there. I still question whether acting is something I intend to do for a long time or not!”


“I think of a role as a suit that I’m trying on and I have to make it fit me. I just wish to represent myself. If you give me a suit that’s too large, I’m not going to gain weight: I’m going to tailor it to fit me. That’s a metaphor for how I act and I feel it’s therapeutic for your life. Even if I’m playing a particularly intense or affecting character, like I did in Jarhead or Brokeback, I can always see my way back to my own self.”


“I like being in the position to work on interesting projects and meet a lot of very artistically ambitious people. You often discover that it’s the actual process of working with other actors on the set which is the most reqarding part of this business. The recognition is nice, but as my friend Peter [Saarsgard] says, ‘It’s a very odd profession where you give a performance and a year later people commend you for it.’ So that kind of keeps things in perspective. My life occupies all the space between my performances and that’s where it’s really at!”


Maggie at ShoWest, where Heath is missed

Maggie has been in Las Vegas for ShoWest - yesterday (Thursday) Warner Brothers previewed their upcoming films and high up the list was The Dark Knight. Accompanied by a clip of the film, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale appeared on stage but one star of the film was absent and painfully missed - Heath: 'The sequence introduces audiences to Heath Ledger as the Joker. And after calling the movie's other leads, Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal to the stage, [Christopher] Nolan paid tribute to Ledger, saying, though saddened by the late actor's absence, "It's a great performance. ... I'm very proud to have been able to work with him."'


Incidentally, Jake may - or may not - be the only Gyllenhaal who may be filming in Connecticut shortly (although it now appears more likely that Nailed with be shot in South Carolina). Maggie's new film the starry The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - is about to be begin shooting in Danbury for 90 days. Even more incidentally, Peter Sarsgaard has just started work in London, I believe, on An Education, a film which was also to feature Orlando Bloom as the friend of Peter's character. However, Orlando's had to pull out due to his need to become an expert in Kung-fu!


And finally

This appeared, apparently, in OK! and has left me rather stumped. It seems that OK! can 'exclusively report that he [Patrick Swayze] is not going to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in updated remake of Kramer Vs. Kramer.' Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Includes pictures from IHJ and Pop Sugar.

The Night Before Party at the Beverly Hills Hotel - WDW Report

Tonight's post is a personal post about what it's like when you try and see Jake, thousands of miles from home and without any hope that you may actually see the person you came for. Tonight, I tried to see Jake at The Night Before party at the glamorous Beverly Hills Hotel. I spoke to more than a few people tonight - staff and guests at the hotel - and all agreed that this year's party and this year's Oscars were different. Nobody was quite so keen on the fan being involved.


At the Beverly Hills Hotel it was extremely difficult getting into the hotel, let alone seeing anything. I arrived early as I had an idea of what it would be like. I got there at about 3pm and walked through the gorgeous hotel bungalows, with the red flowers and the meandering pathways. What a stunning place to stay! I could see why Brad Pitt etc would stay nowhere else. I got lost around the tennis courts but a member of staff took me to the lobby and I managed to get into the Polo Lounge before they closed it.


Because of the rain, the Night Before party couldn't be held at the pool as planned. Instead, it was moved into the small second bar. I was early enough to get into the Polo Lounge and set up a position on a bar stool to see what might happen. All credit to Greg the barman - what an amazing guy - holding fort on his own with the crowds increasing. He told me that he'd seen Tom Cruise that morning, proudly walking around with his baby in his arms and having breakfast with her. Greg said that some stars had been in for lunch but now they were out having their massages and manicures before this evening's party.

I spent much of the evening chatting away with bar staff and guests, each taking their turn to try and have a look around the lobby. This wasn't easy. A mass of security guards manned the entrance. At one point I was chatting to a party of four (all with strict instructions to look out for Jake) and one of them went out to the lobby to see what was going on. She was not allowed back in so, after a frantic text message or two, all left to try and find her. The toilet block was sealed so that the 'special' guests could use it, leaving the rest of us to use the washroom downstairs, but soon even this restroom had a man at its door.


But then Nicole Kidman walked into the restaurant looking extremely radiant and with a neck longer than I could believe. Absolutely stunning. Her blonde hair was lifted up and tied with a clip. She sat a few feet from me and for a couple of hours I could see her having a very animated discussion with two other guests. As she walked out the entire bar looked at her. A real movie star. A very handsome producer came to the bar and was waylaid by quite a few ladies but he made his escape.

Finally, I realised that I was never going to see anything. The party was probably underway and the stars were being kept so segregated from everybody else - guests or otherwise - that there was little chance. Also the bar was extremely full and I was being chatted up by a transport millionaire from Detroit, who 'used to be in the movie business'. Time to escape, believe me.


On the way outside from the bathroom I peeked into the small sushi restaurant and there was Neil Gallagher from Oasis, chatting away and laughing with a friend. I went outside and hid behind a rail of drycleaned suits (the things I do), knowing I would be spotted at any moment. Finally, I got thrown out - I told them I was just waiting for a cab (I was the only non-member of staff around so I must have stood out) - but not before I saw Orlando Bloom getting out of his car. He looked really good - smart with a kind of goatie beard and slender. A totally different build to Jake. I didn't see Jake - I was unable to - but it was good to see someone. And just being in the same hotel as Jake has got to be good.

What a night!



Apart from this evening's adventure, I walked down Melrose today, stopping at Urth Cafe, to Fairfax and then went to the Grove and Farmer's Market. On the way, I saw some signs warning about no parking and I later found out that this place - the Pacific Design Center on Melrose - will be the site for tomorrow night's Elton John AIDS Foundation party. I also went to the Fred Segal shop - where Jake bought his Art is Alive shirts - and spent too much money. I later found out that Britney visited the shop with her mother this week. Other places I saw were JAR restaurant, the Beverly Center and Orsos.



Includes pictures from IHJ and WDW.

Jake out for a Japanese dinner with Orlando

Just moments after finding the new pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal out and about in Hollywood, here he is again, but this time he's out for dinner with Orlando Bloom. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of Jake and Orlando together at the Japanese restaurant (Ita Cho on Beverly Boulevard) but the video shows they were dining together. And Jake's specified driver from the last few outings is on hand again to drive him home safely.





Includes pictures from IHJ.

Jake Gyllenhaal - Hollywood's leading man

Some of Hollywood's leading men are reaching what might be termed 'that difficult age'. Cruel as it sounds, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, to name but three, have arguably reached that stage in their lives when they are less likely to appeal as the male lead, except in 'serious dramas'. It happens to actresses so why not to actors? So who is lined up to replace them? I don't know about you, but I can think of one who springs to mind.


This week, an article in the Los Angles Times suggested that Jake Gyllenhaal is not what audiences want, even arguing that Hollywood is becoming more populated with young, hopeful British and Australian actors (such as James McAvoy) because of 'collective Hollywood fatigue with the sensitive young men who have populated filmdom recently'. The sensitive young men the author has in mind are Jake, Orlando Bloom, Josh Hartnett and Tobey Maguire, three of which at least attract movie goers in their millions. Whether James McAvoy would relish being called by default an 'insensitive young man' is another matter.


The biggest film so far this year in terms of Box Office takings must be, one would expect, Spider-Man 3, which features Tobey Maguire. I'm not sure if being overly sensitive is a prerequisite or a drawback for playng a superhero, but there was little evidence of a 'collective fatigue' with Tobey at theatres last weekend. I imagine a similar response to Pirates of the Caribbean 3 when this opens towards the end of May. As for Josh Hartnett, he might be the exception that proves the rule here.


Jake Gyllenhaal is a sensitive actor - of that there is no doubt. He played Jack Twist intuitively, becoming that role to the extent that when one looks on Jack, it's not Jake you see. Jake can convey with a glance or a smile what words are inadequate to say. This was used to remarkable effect in Brokeback Mountain, but also in Donnie Darko and Moonlight Mile. In the latter, there were many minutes when Jake was not required to say a word but, as Jake has said, he was always a master of the ellipse. Jake's performance as Robert Graysmith in Zodiac has earned more excellent reviews for this young, sensitive actor and audiences in Europe will not be disappointed or let out a collective yawn of fatigue when they see Jake on that big cinema screen, making it his own.


Pictures from IHJ.