The day after the night before, a couple of sleepyheads were seen at Beverly Hills' AMC theatre yesterday evening. It seems that Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon were among a number of well know people who chose to see Bruno, which might explain the facial expressions. I wonder what Jake bought at Bose... Many thanks to IHJ for the pictures.
Talk of An Education
Brothers is being regularly listed now as a contender for the coming award season. However, it is not the only film being discussed which is of interest. I'm delighted to see that Peter Sarsgaard's An Education is also getting some buzz and it too now has a poster. Its other star is Carey Mulligan, who also has a role in Brothers, tightening the connection.
Going off topic again...
I stumbled across another filmset today, not once but twice. Despite reports that the recession had killed off ITV's classy detective drama Lewis, the offshoot of Inspector Morse, I can definitely attest to the contrary. Lewis had taken over one ofOxford's scenic colleges, drawing quite a crowd of tourists. At lunchtime I saw Warren Clarke, a much loved and famously grumpy-looking UK character actor...
... and in the evening saw Laurence Fox - Lewis' sidekick, son of James Fox and husband of a very lucky Billie Piper. I watched the filming standing next to the creator of Inspector Morse, Colin Dexter - an unassuming and very modest gentleman. This was a thrill for me as I've read every single one of his novels.
A reminder of the previous time I saw filming for Lewis in Oxford.
Last night it was tweeted that Jake Gyllenhaal had been seen at Jenny Lewis and Ray LaMontagne's show at the Hollywood Bowl that evening. And today we have the pictures of Jake and Reese leaving the Bowl. As compensation for the report that Jake was irritable with the paps while Reese argued with them while less than sober, we do have chesthair. Jake is nothing if not protective here while Reese looks like she's having some fun. Hopefully they enjoyed the concert.
Am I the only one who wants to turn Jake's VIP Guest sticker the right way up?
I wonder if Jake is growing Rendition hair for a purpose...
And, speaking of rock, now for the strange news of the day. A blog reported at the weekend that they had seen a report in the Rollingstone that said that the movie about Kurt Cobain, now entitled Heavier than Heaven, was at last in pre-production and that Jake Gyllenhaal is included in the cast as Axl Rose! To add some credence to this is the identity of the screenwriter - David Benioff - who was, of course, the writer for Brothers. Quite an array of actors is listed as associated with the project. So is this true?
Jake is now linked with a whole heap of musical movies - it does seem to be a running theme. I cannot picture Jake in Guns 'n' Roses, no matter how hard I try. And thinking about Kurt Cobain inevitably makes me think about Pilot.
Watching Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese leave Burn 60 this weekend (you can see the pap video here) to a cacophony of shutters reminds me that, despite the inconvenience and the craziness of some pap situations, Jake has had a largely good relationship with the camera for years - both in front of it and behind it. We all know about Jake's passion for cooking but, back in Teen People 2002, Jake's passion was listed as photography.
Jake described his 21st birthday to 17 magazine: 'During the day my mom threw me a party with my family and closest friends. At night my friends had a big party for me at a club in LA. My mom bought me this really old-school Palaroid camera. And I got a beautiful ring from a friend that says: It's important to live, not only to exist.' On recent visits to Europe, Jake has been seen camera in hand taking pictures of the sights, just like the rest of us.
Jake can also be relied upon to help out.
Of course, as an actor, Jake is well accustomed to performing in front of a camera and, as a particularly photogenic actor, he's also well used to posing in front of fashion and magazine photographers, including some of the very best. These include Mario Testino and Annie Leibovitz as well as Michael Stipe. The impact of the paparrazi on such photography is discussed here by Steffan Hill who has photographed Jake in the past.
Beautiful as Jake is, Ang Lee told the Advocate that he'd had some problems photographing Jake, in contrast to Heath Ledger: '“Jake positions himself this way, then that way. He tries everything—like De Niro or something,” Lee says, then cackles. “Heath is not like that. He has a specific target within him. I don’t have to bring him back from here or there. He’s also very easy to photograph, easier than Jake. You don’t have to avoid anything.”' One wonders what this 'thing' was that had to be avoided. Yet it is because Jake has such an interesting, animated and expressive face that one takes so much pleasure in looking at him.
Brokeback Mountain had a stills photographer, Kimberley French, who has the gift of melting into the background and being tolerated and liked and admired by actors. Her photography on the set - especially her images of Heath with whom she had a special connection - led to the instantly recognisable Brokeback poster.
'French met [Heath] on a movie set when he was visiting then-girlfriend Naomi Watts, and when they met again on the set of Brokeback the two instantly bonded over cameras and cigarettes. As a result, French was able to capture poignant photos of the actor. “It felt really great from the start, that I already had a relationship with one of the actors,” French muses. “And it just continued... Heath would let me get so close to his eyeline. Getting in an actor’s eyeline—between them and the camera or another actor, or whatever they think they’re looking at—is a big deal. He also later allowed me to shoot him while he was concentrating on his lines.”
'On one such occasion, when Ledger was pacing back and forth rehearsing a scene, French snapped an introspective portrait that was used in composite for the movie’s iconic poster. The other portion of the final image, featuring actor Jake Gyllenhaal, was taken during a special photography session that lasted all of five minutes. “I had very little time, so I had no lights, just reflectors,” she now laughs. “It’s nerve-wracking, but the job is totally about being fast.”'
Kimberley's images also feature in this video as background to an interview Heath did for an Australian radio station on 22 January 2006.
Nailed
A big thank you to Monica for finding more pictures from the set of Nailed. As with other photos we've seen from the set, it seems the actors and director were quite happy to have cameras around despite the strict ban. The photo of Jessica is interesting because it gives us a good look at the offending nail. Many thanks to the photographers for taking these pictures, which must keep us going until we get to see the finished article.
And finally and off topic...
I took my own camera out today for a trip to Blenheim Palace to have afternoon tea...
Demonstrating once more that we have Jake Gyllenhaal to thank for the invention of the white t-shirt, here we see Jake and Reese at Brentwood's Burn 60 gym yesterday. Judging by the shoes Jake is carrying (when arriving at the club?), it may be possible that Jake has been participating in the Turn 60 workout. Perhaps when spinning Jake is imagining himself in the Pyrenees with the Tour de France.
The photographers came too...
The much-loved curl of hair over the ear is back.
I do admire a girl who can wield a video camera while controlling a large dog and looking at Jake Gyllenhaal.
And finally...
I cam across this interview with writer David Hollander from March 2009 and, in a brief mention, it suggests that the Joe Namath Project has not been put to bed - David is working on the script (which was postponed during the writers' strike).
When you see a trailer, you know a poster can't be far behind and today we get a look at the first poster for Brothers, courtesy of Cinematical.
Obviously, the first thing that we will all notice is that Tobey Maguire is not wearing a shirt and Jake Gyllenhaal is. To say that I'm dumbfounded by this mixup is an understatement. Despite this regrettable error, this poster presents a powerful image of a family splintered.
So, how about a UK release date? Jake is back - and so is the LiveStrong band
After what seems like an age in Hollywood, Jake has at long last turned up! Proving that the Intelligentsia coffee house in Venice is the new Peet's Caffe, Jake was seen yesterday drinking something red while reading something intriguing and wearing the t-shirt of Goodness Mfg. And I quote: 'Goodness Manufacturing is a full service advertising agency, founded on one philosophy. We create brands people fall in love with. By any means necessary. We are all hard-charging midnight-oil-burning advertising zealots dedicated to this philosophy and we see only opportunity on the horizon.'
Several things to note here (beware of incoming WDW list...): Jake's left wrist suggests his mind is clearly on the Tour de France; Jake has spectacular new Nike; who is the mysterious owner of the other Blackberry cup of the red stuff; Intelligentsia is a very long name to fit over a door. This coffee house visit was captured by the 'Nice video camera man' and you can see that video here. Looking great, Jake!
NB My YouTube channel has been deleted because I posted the Brothers trailer from Entertainment Tonight. No email from them, no warning, nothing - all deleted. Shame on you.
Many thanks to IHJ for the very welcome new pictures!
Five years ago, almost to the day, when Hollywood was set to revive Superman, Jake Gyllenhaal's name was closely connected with the reborn Clark Kent. Hindsight now tells us that the rather unknown Brandon Routh was given the mission in the end but, for some time, Jake was a clear favourite.
June, 2004: 'Star can exclusively report that Gyllenhaal, 23 -- best-known for his roles in The Good Girl, with Jennifer Aniston, 35, and Donnie Darko -- beat out actors like Ashton Kutcher, 26 and Brendan Fraser, 35, to play the Man of Steel. Headshots of potential actors were on a wall under the characters' names in the film's production office, says an insider, adding: 'They used to have all these possibilities under Superman/Clark Kent. Now, there's only one headshot: Jake Gyllenhaal.''
July 2, 2004: 'Moviehole talked to a representative for actor Jake Gyllenhaal who confirmed that the actor is still in the running to play The Man of Steel. "Yes, Jake is being considered for 'Superman.' The WB was so impressed by Jake's strong second place showing for the run for Batman among the fan community and the Yahoo polls that he's being considered for the Man of Steel", the source says. "Since that project is still waaaay up in the air, I don't think there's a definite short list though some of the original Batman contenders would be on there. Jake pumped up for Batman and he was smart enough not to let the new bod go to waste."'
August, 2004: 'Meanwhile at last night premiere of the Exorcist that was held at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood IESB's very own Jeff Girard was able to speak to Big Brother's Nathan Marlow who recently auditioned for the role of Superman. " I auditioned for the role of Superman, you know it's kind of funny, I went in there and Jake Gyllenhaal was right in front of me and Josh Hartnett was coming in after me, I was surrounded by all these "A" list actors but I went in and auditioned for it and the casting director liked me but I think that I got to get away from all the reality buzz to be considered for Superman, the casting director is also the same one for X-Men 3 so I'm hoping to maybe get a part in that one" Marlow told the IESB.'
And now there's the chance that all may be starting up again as plans get underway to awaken Superman once more and there's no Brandon Routh in sight and Jake continues to tantalise on the horizon: 'Someone who certainly is no stranger to the silver screen, Gyllenhaal would add a huge boost in star power and name recognition to a Superman project. Gyllenhaal wouldn’t need much work to be physically ready for the film; consider his work in the film Jarhead, and he can certainly handle a demanding role, physically or emotionally, as seen in both The Day After Tomorrow and Brokeback Mountain. Imagine the buildup and anticipation with an actor of Gyllenhaal’s stature attached to a project with this much behind it!'
Jake: 'I think that the metaphor of the superhero is a really amazing one. When you play those roles you get in the suit and the suit plays itself, so if I were to play one of those roles I would be interesting in bringing myself to it. But then the fear is that then you become that thing and you're stuck with it. I would love to if it was great and I really believed in it and I felt like I could spend many months of my life devoted to it and then talking about it.'
Talking of comics, Disney has announced its line-up for this month's Comic-Con in San Diego: 'Oddly missing from their line-up is anything on Mike Newell's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie. Although you can be certain that Disney has got a few surprises in store for fans attending both of these presentations. Maybe we'll get to at least see the trailer for Prince of Persia during one of these panels at some point, I hope?' We all hope.
