Jake Gyllenhaal is, you may have noticed, quite a foodie. So much so, anyone else who ate out that much would be wider than they are tall. It's only appropriate then that Jake should be involved with a food charity. Last night, the Edible Schoolyard hosted a private dinner in New York City with chef Alice Waters as guest of honour. And there at the head of the menu is a particularly tasty morsel - Jake Gyllenhaal.
For $1000, diners not only drank cocktails for a good cause, their appetite was given a boost by mingling with Jake Gyllenhaal. Very fortunately, a tweeter at the party captured an image of Jake and Alice Waters (a longtime heroine of his) together. Many thanks to Julie. As you can see, Jake also brought the Face Pet along but it was very well behaved and even looks like it may have had a trim.
Shalom Jake
The DVDs are now being released bit by bit for Shalom Sesame. Jake is one of several well known faces to appear in the series, which introduces children to Jewish culture and Israel. I'm not sure yet which episode will feature Jake - not one of the first to be released - but, in the meantime, we have a taster. Last seen in the Street with an octopus stuck on his head, we now get another look at Jake as he was then. In one of the scenes - and you won't be surprised - Jake appears to be chewing.
A very attractive make romantic
Last not seen naked on the Love and Other Drugs poster, Ed Zwick has been talking some more about his much anticipated movie. 'Part of my job is to be aware of what actors are out there and what they're doing, look at their work. I'd seen Annie do Jonathan Demme's movie ("Rachel Getting Married") and I'd seen her do Shakespeare in the Park, and she was really fantastic and brave and ambitious artistically. And Jake had done this movie a friend of mine wrote called "Jarhead," and I'd seen his work before that. I got to know him a little bit and realized that to know him was to have (witnessed) something that movie audiences hadn't necessarily seen, which is the depth of his charm and his humor and this very attractive male romantic... and I felt, "Oh hey, you know what? I'm going to show that to people." Because it's there.'
...But Mills and Boon readers think Simon Cowell is sexier than Jake and Gyllenhaal and Johnny Depp and that Jeremy Clarkson is only slightly down the hot list than Jake! 'The mega-rich X Factor supremo secured 17% of the vote among swooning females who named him as their ultimate hero in a Mills And Boon book. Simon edged ahead of actors Johnny Depp and Jake Gyllenhaal, who each secured 12%, while Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson came fourth with 10%.' I know, I didn't believe it either but you can read the whole sorry tale here.
Jake and Kathryn Bigelow
Variety reported today: 'After "The Hurt Locker," it's not surprising that actors want to work with Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal on their next project, but even for jaded Hollywood, the roster of actors they've been meeting with is impressive. Will Smith, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Christian Bale, Javier Bardem and Jake Gyllenhaal have either asked Bigelow and Boal for a look at the script or taken meetings to discuss the film.' I have to say, it's hardly surprising.
But it's good to know Jake's hungry for a good script.
I recommend you pull up a comfy chair, pump up those cushions and pour yourself a glass of something warming because we've got a lot to get though and not much time to do it in (well, actually, we do have some time but I'm trying to build it up).
Firstly, some great news today for the Brits here: the release of Love and Other Drugs in the UK is confirmed as being 31 December 2010! I have to thank the powers that be for the perfect birthday pressie: Jake Gyllenhaal on the big screen. I like to think it was Jake's idea... Many thanks to our good friends over at Bleeding Cool for sending over the great news today.
The horrifying truth has been brought to my attention that the bald guy with Jake in the Foodie pictures is Chris! So Jake grows the Face Pet while Chris loses his - compromise, guys, compromise!
Le Grand Yummy
As we know, Jake Sasquatch Gyllenhaal was at the Big Foodie event in NYC towards the end of September. Not only was Jake captured on camera, he was also captured on a video camera. The Face Pet was out to grab attention. I don't know about you, but I can hardly notice it.
With thanks to IHJ for their scan from US Weekly we have some details about Jake's foody appearance - there's a lot to do with kissing a girl's cheek, snapping his fingers and dancing out of the door (instead of sampling food and wine and chatting with friends).
More details have also emerged of Jake's other appearances over the last couple of weeks, including the ballet appearance. But we hear much more about Jake's New Yorker appearance on 2 October from the NYMag, including this: 'According to Zwick, Gyllenhaal and Hathaway had been complaining about how often he'd forced them to do nude scenes. "I said, 'What do you want me to do?'" said Zwick. "And they said, 'You take your clothes off.' And I said, 'Fine!'" Said Gyllenhaal: “It’s weird how eager you were, too. He was like, ‘That’s it? No problem!’ And then it was off. It terrified me! Like, all of a sudden, this really intimate relationship became way, way weird.” Then, says Zwick, all three of them snapped a naked photo together. "The art director looked at it and said, 'Get rid of the director,' and he stripped me out and put Annie’s head on Jake’s shoulder, and that’s the movie poster."
You can read more details, which have been featured from other accounts here already, there, but this is new: 'His dream list of collaborators: Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Gosling, and Michelle Williams, again.' Interesting.
Recent sightings
You won't be surprised to hear that Jake has been seen yet again at the organically lovely Sun in Bloom, who tweeted: 'Jake Gyllenhaal stopped by for his 3rd&4th visits today @SunInBloom & says reuben special is his favorite. He Loves the #gluten free cookie!' Upon doing some research, I can inform you that the Reuben Special comprises: 'SIB's "corned" tempeh with a mountain of live sauerkraut and kitchen fresh Russian dressing dashed with a taste of dulse'. I am non the wiser.
Last night, Jake was seen in... wait for it... a restaurant, this time in Soho. Another New Yorker informed us : 'you missed Jake gyllenhall at the fish. And the directors guild at some other place. NY was weird tonight.' Thanks very much to the tweeter for letting me know this is a bar. But one thing's for sure - Jake Gyllenhaal is as hungry as ever. I blame the beard.
Maggie and Peter in India
Yesterday, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard helped to inaugurate the 40th SOS Children's Village in Alibaug, Mumbai. 'he village, set up by the non-governmental organisation SOS Children's Villages, will accommodate 140 orphans from the State. The Hollywood couple, who are the global brand ambassadors of SOS International, said they were glad to be associated with the cause of providing family-based care to the orphan children.'
You can see a video of the event here and it is truly wonderful - Maggie and Peter dancing and drumming, surrounded by children, all in the brightest of colours. Just fantastic to see.
Includes pictures from IHJ and The Hindu. Thanks to Karmentxu for the heads up on the foodie video. And thanks to Bleeding Cool!
EW's Dave Karger has been talking about some of the films that he thinks may be in for an Oscar shot and, despite the fact that there are one or two oddities included, I'm pleased to see Love and Other Drugs on the list. 'The Jake Gyllenhaal/Anne Hathaway comedic drama reminds me a lot of Up in the Air and Jerry Maguire (both past Best Picture nominees). And it’s perhaps the sexiest movie I’ve seen in years. It won’t be for everyone, but if most critics go for its blend of titillation and tragedy, then it’s a contender for one of the five “B-list slots.'
Jake in NYC and a test
Before I start the rest of the post I just want to point out that you are not experiencing deja vu. This is not yesterday, this is today. I want to make this point because over the last 24 hours Jake Gyllenhaal has again been spotted in New York City. But where? Here is the Jake Quiz. Take your time.
Jake Gyllenhaal has today been spotted in:
A gondola?
A biplane?
A compound of tapirs?
The officer's mess of the USS Enterprise?
A restaurant?
As a clue, here are the sightings. Firstly, Jake was seen in Morandi's in NYC, which has a menu that perfectly combines seafood and pasta. I should point out that I don't eat cute food and so I'm a little alarmed by the octopus but this looks very tasty indeed. Jake was also seen in line for a milkshake, or at least in line with other people who wanted a milkshake. Today, Jake was back having lunch at the new favourite Sun in Bloom where it was noted 'He was very cute indeed! And so soft spoken, and sweet, and calm, and and and ;-) I just didn't want to disturb him. I'm sure that when you've been famous for a while it gets annoying having people all over you all the time!'
And finally...
As Prince of Persia continues its DVD release around the world, today the Australian site Age has a video interview with Jake from the filming days and it's very nice to hear Jake talk with passion about his film:
'It was set in such an interesting world - for me the movies that I always love are the movies that are in other worlds, where you have the capability to do almost anything but still be a human being, not a superhero. It goes beyond that level of what you're used to seeing or what any human being could do.'
'The tone of the movie is a real hero's journey but it's comedic too, I mean there are real moments of fun, funny stuff... It's a hero's journey, it's a love story and it's a comedy'.
Thanks to IHJ for the new old pictures of Jake from the LA press conference for Jarhead.
It is indeed true that BeardGate continues - after the tweets yesterday which did nothing but rave about Jake Gyllenhaal's hotness and his shoes, there has now been confirmation that the Face Pet is alive and well and indeed thriving. When I asked one lucky Jake Twitcher if Jake still had the beard, the reply was this: 'Yes he did, he was rocking the hipster beard lol.' When Jake was seen on a train yesterday, it appeared he was 'rocking the full beard'.
In fact Jake's beardy bear is now so famous it has made an appearance on Bearotic, which provides 'entertainment for bears and the furry at heart'.
Today, the sightings have been fewer but, as you would expect from someone who enjoys cooking so much, the ones we have involve restaurants. This Jake Twitcher was at Soho Park eating burgers when Jake walked past. It's not known if Jake was inside or outside the restaurant but, with food involved, the former is likely. And another one from yesterday: 'I'm standing next to Jake gyllenhal (I think that's how u spell it). Dude is cooler than the other side of the pillow.'
As a result of some of the recent comments here, I've decided that it's time to produce a new cribsheet for the citizens of New York City to aid them in their GyllenQuest. Clearly, GyllenSpotters have been too overawed by hotness to focus on their wider Gyllendom responsibilities. I hope this helps.
Preparation
1. The Autumn is a perfect time for GyllenSpotting. Don't look down, look upwards and watch for signs that Jake may be close - ie, are you by a restaurant? 2. Wear cool, loose clothing. 3. Invest in a good pair of binochulars. 4. Turn your camera on. 5. Buy a guide to The Restaurants of New York City. 6. Open a Twitter account.
Location
1. Inside restaurants 2. Outside restaurants 3. In cafes 4. In milkbars 5. In foodshops 6. On trains 7. Waiting for trains 8. At the ballet.
Observation Skills
Award yourself a point for each question asked.
1. Does Jake have a beard? 2. How long is the beard? 3. Is the hair in keeping with the beard? 4. Is Jake wearing Nike? 5. Does he have a NorthFace bag? 6. Does it have lollipops in its side pockets? 7. Is he eating? 8. Is he on a train? 9. What kind of shoes is he wearing? 10. Lumberjack Shirt? 11. Does Jake have a beard?
For comparison purpose, this post contains, thanks to IHJ, new old pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal in NYC almost 4 years ago exactly in October, 2006. He doesn't have the Face Pet with him; instead he has The Box Lady ( I do like how Jake has his arm out instinctively in the photo above to protect her from a road of traffic - still lets her carry the box though).
And finally...
Jordan Mechner, the father of Prince of Persia has posted here a link to his last PoP screenplay from the summer of 2005.
Jake Gyllenhaal continues to prove that the best way to succeed in becoming a good cook is to eat out a lot and not actually do any cooking. Yesterday Jake was seen out with Maggie and Peter and their mum, Naomi, at Sun In Bloom in Brooklyn. This is particularly good to hear because a) it's a vegan restaurant and b) it serves aphrodisiac rice. The same day Jake was seen at the Il Buco Italian restaurant in Bond Street, which, if it's anything like the Bond Street in London, means the plates will be made out of cashmere and the knives and forks out of crushed diamonds and the chairs out of Elgin's marbles.
Jake was spotted on Bond Street 'walking alone, being a true stud'. Several things to note here - a) Jake does indeed look like a true stud and b) where's the mention of the beard? Yes... in the most recent sightings of Jake there has been no mention of the Face Pet. Either it's gone or it's become extraordinarily sexy and noone notices it anymore.
If you look at yesterday's post you'll see mention of a stylist about to work on a photoshoot with Jake plus sightings of Jake with Love and Other Drugs co-star Anne Hathaway. Makes me wonder if Sasquatch has been taken to the barbers. Watch this space (not to mention the chin...)!
Updated: It looks like Jake was back in SunInBloom today: 'Thank you Jake Gyllenhaal for stopping by www.suninbloom.com this AM to grab your Sweet Lady Green juice & Brazilian nut mylk!' Another lucky person tweeted: 'OMG JUST WALKED PAST JAKE GYLLENHALL! He is beautiful. Omg omg omg.' Someone else: 'I sat across from Jake Gyllenhaal on the train today. He was wearing duck boots.' In other words, not a mention of the Face Pet!
PoP Bits
As we know, the Prince of Persia Blu-ray features some behind the scenes snippets. Not everyone has managed to see these and so it's great to see a couple more of them online this week. They have French subtitles but are not dubbed.
I'm a huge David Fincher fan, as many of you will know, and today I was lucky enough to see a preview of The Social Network. Here's my non-spoilery review.
It is an increasing pleasure to listen to Love and Other Drugs director and writer Ed Zwick talk about his new movie and in this video of a recent roundtable with Ed he tells us some more about what drew him to his leading man, Jake Gyllenhaal: 'Jake is a deeply charming, flirtatious, funny, smart, sexy guy and...' 'Agreed' [confirms the questioner to much laughter]. 'But I think in some sense he's held that back a little bit for some of the parts and has not demonstrated that.'
On the nudity: 'From the very beginning they really understood that that was in the DNA of the material. That in my experience when two young people get together and they're really involved and attracted to one another, they spend a lot of the time naked in bed. We wanted to give that the same level of authenticity as the drugs or the disease or anything else and to be coy and have the sheets pulled up I think would be a kind of violation of the truth and the authenticity of the relationship.'
Getting it done: 'We didn't have a lot of time. Everybody took a quarter of their salary to make this movie. We made it for $30 million. We shot in 49 days and so we had rehearsal and the rehearsal was very free and then once we shot it there wasn't a lot of time to mess around.
Shifting premieres
It had been thought that Love and Other Drugs would have its American premiere at the AFI Film Festival in November but, while that screening may well prove more glittery, it seems that the CMJ music and film festival has grabbed the premiere honour with its screening taking place in New York on 19 October.
Update: Meanwhile, the publicity machine for Love and Other Drugs may be heating up. Yesterday a stylist tweeted: 'On my way to a photo shoot with Jake Gyllenhaal!' Another very lucky person said: 'I'm totally standing next to Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhal and I am totally Freaking out.'
Jake at the BO
Jake meanwhile has made EW's list of the Top 50 Most Powerful Entertainers at 46. His Box Office total is quoted as being $1.4 billion, with his last three films making $405.1 million. The average weekend opening is $25.6 million and the average opening of the last three films $14.6 million. 'Viable leading men under 30 are hard to ind, but Gyllenhaal has crafted an enviable career consisting of global blockbusters Prlnce of Persia: The Sands of Time) and critical darlings (Brokeback Mountain).' Topping the list was Johnny Depp with Lady GaGa second and Oprah Winfrey third. There's more information here and thanks to BBMISwear for the scan.
Cranky in the mornings
I'm delighted to sat that there are more snippets from Saturday, this time about Jake and Maggie's big Oscar night. Apparently, Jake 'said he was in the middle of shooting a film but rushed to be by his sister's side when she was nominated for an Academy Award for "Crazy Heart" earlier this year. "Had I missed out on that moment that would have been awful," Gyllenhaal said. "I got no sleep and was a cranky person, but I was there and that was what mattered to me." He added, "Anyway, I love her a lot."' Jake cranky in the mornings? Something else we have in common... More here.
As for Jake himself, he took his Face Pet and a backpack and a date to New York City ballet's autumn gala on Thursday night. Tweets reported that he was not keen to be photographed, possibly because he didn't want to get done for breaking the dresscode. Natalie Portman was also there. Yesterday someone else said: 'I saw Jake Gyllenhaal at the coffee shop this morning. I smiled at him. He smiled at me. I have a feeling everything is going to be okay.' I know that feeling, it's a good one.
With big thanks to Nathaniel R, who did a great job of catching every word, we have more snippets from Jake Gyllenhaal's Saturday night out. This time, we have some of Jake's miscellaneous comments about past movies and there is some great stuff. You can read it all here, but here are some of my favourite bits, and there isn't one that didn't make me stop and think. Thanks to Nathaniel, who wanted WDW readers to see it, for the heads up! Before I start, I must say how much I agree with Nathaniel's comment that David Fincher was the star of Zodiac and that 'you can see his smudgy auteur fingerprints on every painstaking frame'.
On Donnie Darko: 'It really marks, more than any other movie I've ever done, figuratively a time in my life. And that movie -- before we started shooting, I had been having a rough time figuring out what was up, what end was up. Jason Schwartzman was supposed to play that part. They had financing, they were ready to go and he dropped out and I stumbled upon it and out of the director's desperation got the role. It really matched somehow somewhere where I was in my life. I remember it premiered at Sundance and my mother, father and sister came up to me afterwards crying and realizing that I had been saying something to them with that movie -- how lost I was. How did I do it? I don't know something about talking to that rabbit. It just seemed to comfort me at that time.'
Lost - watching, trying or not trying to understand Donnie Darko is something that has filled my last ten years and it brings this film home to me in a way I've not experienced before - just by hearing that Jake stumbled upon it and that it marked a time in his life. Comfort in speaking to the rabbit - I can understand a little of that too.
'When you think of cult films a lot of time's there's a bit of a wink. I don't think that was our intention at all. It's a deeply serious movie to me... Whether you're experimenting with drugs or not there's a moment where you go 'Whats real? What's not?' There was no thought of result. Any time I've ever done anything with the thought of a result its been a bad thing.'
In addition to talking about the difficulty of filming love scenes, for the first time in quite a while, Jake discusses Brokeback's reunion scene: 'It was about more than just kissing. The scene in Brokeback Mountain where Heath and I see each other after a very long time. This has been hard for me to explain for years. We had very little to do with that scene being as powerful as it is. It was powerful when you read it in the screenplay. It was powerful in the short story on the page. What we do when we had that moment together is filled with -- it's filled with moments that people have had that have nothing to do with us. We just basically went up and slammed our mouths together. You know what I mean? We were the instruments for something that was much bigger than both of us.'
Jake's performance in Brokeback: 'I think I do have regrets about it, about things, as every actor does. When I see Heath's work in that movie it's just transcendent and amazing and as a fellow actor to me I just always admire him. I hoped that I could be as good as. So I watch it and I always see that.'
In my opinion - and I am a completely biased and awestruck admirer of David Fincher - Zodiac was a vital step on Jake's acting journey, albeit not necessarily always a pleasant one. Although, having said that, since the filming days, David and Jake have never shown anything but affection for each other. In hindisght, Jake can see that Fincher knew what he could get from Jake and that is indeed what Fincher got. Firstly, Jake describes the scene where his character finally sees the man he believes to be the murderer: 'We shot that twice. David didn't like the first store we shot in. That was again multiple takes. The funny part of that is John Carol Lynch played by dad in Bubble Boy so that look is filled with so much more than just 'hunter and hunted.' I was desperate for you show a scene of me and him crying in a car and me in a bubble.'
One of the best scenes in Zodiac is the final cafe scene when Jake explains his theory to Mark Ruffalo's character. Since the first time I saw this movie I have admired Jake, who hasn't always had a good time learning lines, for this scene. 'That was the third time we shot the scene. We shot each of our takes close to 50 times. So... 150th take? Now I see what David wanted. I watch it and I'm like 'Now I know.' I didn't know what he wanted. What I've been learning -- this is what happens when you start when you're 15 years old -- no one is going to hold your hand and when you're 15 you need that. As I've gotten older and worked more and more I've realized how much I have to be prepared and there for the director so they think 'Jake's got my back I don't need to worry about him.' I think I had a misunderstanding for a long time -- because I grew up in a family off filmmakers -- that we're all supposed to collaborate. The truth is an actor is supposed to show up and do their job and know their job to a 't' 120% and be ready to go. Discover on the day but be ready to go. When I watch that I see myself learning.'
And that, for me, is one of the most marvellous things I have ever heard Jake say about his journey to be the actor he has become.
Another blogger has recalled watching the Q&A on Saturday: '[Jake] was completely charming, interested, and really smart. They talked about his mustache in Brokeback Mountain quite a bit, and Jake said that he actually won an award for that mustache. (No, seriously, an online award given out every year to best mustache). We found out that Jason Schwartzman, a close friend of Jake's, was originally supposed to play Donnie Darko. (WHAATTT?) He talked about sex a lot, and we discovered that there is a lot of nudity in his new movie - probably the best advertisement ever. It was over way to soon, and was completely surreal the whole time. He seems like a very cool guy who really doesn't comprehend how immensely talented he is. I wish I knew how to quit him. (How could I resist?)'.
Jake's on a Train
Last night Jake was seen and photographed on the 3 Train in NYC, which covers Manhattan and Brooklyn, and, for all the world, he looked like just another commuter, albeit an irresistibly hot one. Jake appears to have separated his movie and private self this year to an admirable degree and, while the glimpses such as this put the smile back on my face, it is good to know that Jake has achieved this.
Someone else tweeted today: 'Jake gyllenhaal's beard almost ran me over today on a LES sidewalk. A dude w/ porcelain face+thick beard is off.. like the guy on KnockedUp. But as we can see how Jake is making his way around the city, relatively left in peace, you can see how the Face Pet may be coming in handy. It almost makes me want him to keep it.... Until Love and Other Drugs comes out, of course.
To satisfy my own personal curiosity, can anyone tell me what 'a LES sidewalk' might be? It's all pavements over here...
Ed Zwick interviewed in Chicago
In this video, Ed Zwick makes an appearance in the Fox studio in his home town of Chicago and he has a lot to say about his funny and sexy stars. If the embedding below doesn't work for you, you can see it here.
