Having worked with Vera Farmiga in Source Code, it's only right that Jake Gyllenhaal should continue his mission to act opposite everyone from Up in the Air. This week comes the news from Variety that Jake's End of Watch 'love interest' will be Anna Kendrick.
According to the casting notes, Anna will play Janet, the girlfriend and later wife of Officer Taylor (Jake). 'This petite, very pretty young woman is Taylor's new girlfriend. She is a brilliant engineer and a bit of a geek. She is every bit Taylor's match intellectually which means that she just could be the girl of his dreams. Janet is a straight shooter who makes it clear from the start that she's not interested in a fly-by-night relationship. She and Taylor wind up married in short order, and they are thrilled to learn that Janet has become pregnant.' I will leave it there because there be spoilers.
Janet is good friends with Gabby, the wife of Michael Pena's character, Officer Zavala. Handily, there is a contender for that role as well in the shape of Natalie Martinez, best known to moviegoers perhaps for Death Race. As for Gabby 'This "smokin' hot" Mexican woman is Zavala's wife. She met Zavala in high school and has been with him ever since. A first-grade teacher, Gabby is as smart as she is feisty and funny. She considers Taylor part of her family and is delighted when he finally gives up the dating scene and settles down with Janet, a young woman Gabby gets along with famously.'
With the four main characters now (hopefully) fixed, filming should be about to begin. It might just be me, but when ever I write Officer Taylor, I get an urge to write PC Taylor...
It's always a treat when we get to see brothers-in-law Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard together. It doesn't happen too often, but yesterday Jake and Peter were seen popping out for lunch in Venice, LA. According to IMDb, End of Watch is now filming, although judging by the hair and face pet, this might be a little premature. Source.
Peter's latest film release is about to hit the theatres and it's a biggie. He plays Hector Hammond in Green Lantern. We're talking action figure territory here, like the Prince of Persia. Here's Peter talking about it on Conan O'Brien last week.
Green Lantern opens in the UK and US on 17 June.
Interlude
I was sent a remarkable book - The Watchers by Jon Steele. I read it in two days and was then lucky enough to interview the athor. The review is here and here is the interview with the author.
With Source Code continuing to make progress across the known world, Jake Gyllenhaal has fended off repeatedly the question of what would he do if he only had eight minutes to change the world. In a Polish interview, conducted in LA just after Source Code's premiere at Austin's SXSW festival, Jake responded to the question of whether he could relate to Colter's particular little problem.
'It happened to me once that I fell asleep on a plane and when I woke up, at first I had no idea where I was. I was convinced that I went to sleep in my own bed, then suddenly, in some inexplicable way, I found myself in another place. I remember that a thousand ideas passed through my head of what could have happenened. Was I dead? Kidnapped by a UFO? Was I teleported? Of course, I remembered everything soon enough, and the nightmare was over. When I read "Source Code", I could guess right away how Colter Stevens felt, waking up in the train. But in his case, the nightmare has only just begun.'
This is a great interview, which you can read - with the little help of google - here. Many thanks to Mermon for sending it along! Among the other topics Jake discusses is loving Moon and Duncan's film making, although Duncan was a little distracted at times, especially just before filming began...
'We met for the first time we met here in Los Angeles, in one of the cafes. It so happened that two days before he met his current girlfriend. And he utterly could not concentrate on the conversation! (laughs) It was evident that he misses her terribly and thinks only about her. Just like Colter Stevens on the train, his spirit was somewhere else. It looked like he was trying to explain himself: "You know, man, I'm your big fan, but, a case is, that I met this girl and we've lived together three days, and you understand, I have to go back" (laughs). I said, "No problem". It was charming in its own way.'
Among the talk of filming Source Code, the script and what Jake likes about SXSW, there is a brief mention of what Jake would be doing if he lived another life in an alternative universe (apart from looking hot, of course). I must warn you, it involves manure...
'As a farmer who stands with a pitchfork and throws around the pig manure (laughs). Talking seriously, I have no idea. Life consists of so many unpredictable elements that you can not answer the question: "Where I would be today if I would have take a different decision ten years ago?". However, it seems to me that I wouldn’t be working in another profession. I like it too much. I'd be doing everything possible to continue to be an actor.' Do check out the rest of the interview.
Talking of ten years ago, Access Hollywood has been going through its archives to mark the tenth anniversary of Moonlight Mile being filmed. Here is an interview with Jake on set. We've seen it before but it's well worth another look.
Which provides me with a perfect excuse to repost this video of behind the scenes footage from Moonlight Mile, which, of course, reminds me so much of my tour around this sites with BBMISwear almost two years ago. What a wonderful time that was.
I saw this today, which made me chuckle. Back in 2003, Jake was picked as one to watch...
And finally...
There is a new interview with Duncan Jones here for Source Code. But it is spoilery so only click the link if you've seen the film.
Includes pictures from IHJ. Thanks to Mermon for the interview link!
A couple of goodies this evening, including another interview with Jake Gyllenhaal from Germany and it's a corker. There's much more to it than just yet more questions about what Jake would do if he could pick eight minutes to relive. You can find the whole interview here and below I've included some snippets. Anything dodgy is the fault of my translation - Jake is not to blame (unless he really did say something strange and the translation is spot on...).
'I am proud to do blockbusters. "The Day After Tomorrow" for example, focuses on an environmental disaster. And "Jarhead" tells us of the madness of the Gulf War, "Brokeback Mountain" is about the taboo love between men, and "Love and Other Drugs" is also about the hubris of the American pharmaceutical industry.'
Choice of roles as Jake becomes better known: 'Sure, the danger is great. When celebrity status reaches a certain height it can become complacent and hollow. I readily admit it. But I've not fallen into this trap. I'm still burning! I still want to know. I still wear each of my films literally like my skin. I've been working without a safety net.'
'I hope that I will never back down. I would rather be like my big idols Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando. They never sold out. And when I look at how well my sister Maggie is doing in the movie business, it suggests to me that there is also great hope.'
'I love acting, especially because of the storytelling. I'm happiest when I can be part of telling a great story. This is my drive as an artist.'
'Seeing myself on a movie poster is a limited thrill for me (laughter). But the thrill of being able to work with fantastic actors like Heath Ledger is indescribable. Or with such a visionary young director like Duncan Jones. I was totally over the moon that he wanted to do "Source Code". I found his debut film "Moon" quite extraordinary.'
'... And daring, sometimes risking taking a wrong step creatively, yes. It's very liberating. Because it's the only way you develop further. This does not mean that I valued "Source Code" as a creative misstep - the opposite is the case. The film was a step in the right direction. I will continue to make more films like this, rather than the one that is expected of me. I'm personally and professionally in a state of transformation when almost anything can happen. This is exciting.'
Public interest in Jake as a person: 'This whole celebrity nonsense? Sometimes I call out to people "Get a life!" But mostly I just shrug my shoulders. If you really want, you can escape a bit from all the hype - even in Los Angeles.'
Ending a relationship in public: 'True, it's not easy when a relationship ends under the magnifying glass of the media. It's bad enough even without the pictures and malicious comments. But even so I did not let them bend me. That would be really bad.'
'I have a great ambition, that everything I do looks light and loose. Just as, for example, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart made it look. That to me is the greatest art: to make what is heavy appear light.'
Many thanks to Mrs JG for letting me know about this great interview and also for the heads up that Donnie Darko appears in the July issue of SFX as the magazine takes a look at the scifi and fantasy of 2001. (If you're a Torchwood fan, you might well want to get this magazine.) Here are some scans I've done. Click on them and they shall be embiggened.
And finally...
If you're interested, you can read my take on the taster of Transformers: Dark of the Moon that we were teased with earlier in the week over at Bleeding Cool.
If there's one thing that I like even more than a top heavy pizza, a jug of margarita and a side Caesar salad (it's late, I've been out all evening and I'm starving), is talk of possible future roles for Jake Gyllenhaal. Especially when there's not too much on the horizon short of wrestling with polar bears on the icecap with Bear Grylls and sorting out LA's baddies in End of Watch. Tonight comes the news - or rumour - that Jake is being sought for a leading role in the film Now You See Me (directed by Louis Leterrier of Clash of the Titans fame). The story originated with Variety and so it's worth giving it credence - at least until conflicting schedules put an end to it.
The other lead, which isn't any more fixed than Jake, is Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network), an interesting actor and one I would be interested in seeing work with Jake. We shouldn't hold our breath though as Now You See Me has a projected release date on IMDb of 2014. Its storyline is as follows: 'FBI agents track a team of illusionists who pull of bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money'. I'm not a fan of films about illusionists or magicians (too many childhood summer holidays spent being dragged around seaside magic shows) but I do like the sound of this.
Obviously, Jake's experienced in working with rabbits and if they need someone to saw in half, I could be available. Maybe.
PS I know that's Bubble Guinea Pig and not Bubble Bunny.
It's time to crack open the bubbly, serve up the trifle and put on a party hat - today (7 June) marks a very special day in the GyllenCalendar. Twenty years ago today, City Slickers was released in the US and a whole new career was launched. Jake Gyllenhaal was born! Well, sort of... To celebrate the fact, a blu ray of the film has been released, which for reasons that defy human knowledge, doesn't have Jake on the cover. Nevertheless, this could be one for the collection.
To make up for the lack of Jake in that picture, this video is always worth a relook. Except for the shoulder bit... I hate the shoulder bit...
Here's a clip.
Who'd have thought it? Twenty years and so many, many more to go.
LAPD Medal of Honor Ceremony
On 26 May, the LAPD Medal of Honor ceremony took place during which ten officers were awarded the highest honour for bravery given by the LAPD. Jake and others from the End of Watch crew attended the ceremony, no doubt receiving immense inspiration as the film takes shape. '“In a town where our studios turn out fictionalized accounts of hero cops, it’s amazing to see in the very same town that real guys exist,” Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti, 13th District, said.' The photo is from the LA Police Foundation.
Winter wonderland
We have yet to see the Bear Grylls and Jake Iceland Survivor experience, but there are some details in this fun piece of the hotel (Hotel Ranga) in which they stayed. Apparently, there is a stuffed polar bear in the lobby. I'm confused by the penguins and intimidated by the bearskins on the wall. Quite an experience and I must say that my ambition to go there is large. The photo below is from a previous suitably cool experience by Jake for Earth Day back in 2005.
Something a little different this evening... Summit's decision to release Source Code as VOD, a couple of weeks sooner than its US DVD and Blu-ray release on 26 July, is a test. Its aim is to determine whether audiences will part with (presumably) a smaller amount of cash early before (presumably) liking what they see enough to buy the disc a fortnight later. The hope is that a VOD release for bigger budgeted and popular films will whet the appetite for the disc. And all this within four months of the film's theatrical release.
While there is a risk that this practice will only encourage audiences not to bother with the cinema experience - after all, there is so little time to wait before you could order up the movie in your own living room while you eat your dinner to it - there is another risk, as discussed on CNN today: 'Are our small screens making big stars little?'
Which raises a whole new topic of what makes a movie star something different than any other star? What makes them extra shiny? It is true, I think, that movie stars are something above and beyond the stars of the small screen. We see TV stars regularly, some of them week after week in the same role, and it can be the roles that audiences come to follow rather than the actor. But one of the main things that makes a movie star stand out - and I think something of the same is true for stage actors - is the scale of the performance. Before you, on a big screen or on a grand stage, you see something that transports you out of your real life, with its distractions forgotten.
I remember watching Charlton Heston on stage in London in Man For All Seasons. I was completely starstruck. I can't imagine feeling anything like that for an actor that I know so well from the TV. Even if they make the transition from TV to fim, it's still not the same as coming face to face with a movie star that you see on the big screen in maybe only one movie a year, sometimes less often than that. When I saw Nicole Kidman in a restaurant in Beverly Hills a few years ago, you realise that movie stars should be different, they aren't like us. No one disturbed her, everyone was in awe and this was Beverly Hills where stars move among others and even... dareIsay... mingle. A movie is still an event.
I am a movie fan (I know, I hide it well) but I've watched Jake Gyllenhaal evolve as a movie star over the last few years, followed the movies as they are born, grown and delivered amongst the glory of red carpets, premieres and appearances and this is what cannot be beaten. I like to think that there will always be people who love the entire movie-going experience, that magic of those two hours, and as long as they do, there will be movie stars. The world would be a little greyer without them.
However much VOD there is, however short the gap between the movie release and the DVD, we will always have movie stars - and we know just where to find them.
