It's always good to see Jake Gyllenhaal out with his old friends. On 18 January Jake was seen going out for sushi with Austin Nichols, Adam Levine and the Green Trousers. It is not known if The Truck was also in attendance.
A belated Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you!
It is now the day after the day before and I hope you're still able to move your stomachs. No doubt this post catches you eating the last of your veggie turkey and wringing the last few drops out of your festive whiskey. Either that or you're down the shops buying toasters and cameras. Jake Gyllenhaal, however, has been up to his usual tricks of flying around and eating, not necessarily at the same time.
Perez Hilton was sent a photo of Jake with his old friend Adam Levine at the Mustard Seed Cafe in Los Feliz, LA, apparently taken on 21 December (but probably taken before Jake's birthday). This would mean that Jake was in NYC for his birthday on 19 December, flew back to LA for a day or two, and then was back to the East Coast in time for a number of sightings on 24 December, not to mention the holidays themselves. However, if there's one person who's not going to let something like a continent get in the way of a good meal it's Jake Gyllenhaal.
On 24 December, Jake was seen queuing up at Liquiteria in NYC. Apparently, this isn't another name for an Off Licence (UK) or Liquor Store (US) but a place that sells cleansing liquids, and not for the car or windows either. The same day Jake was spotted at a regular haunt, the wonderful fish specialists Russ and Daughters. Caviar as a Christmas starter perhaps?
I want to take this opportunity to thank IHeartJake for all their continued hardwork over 2011 and all the other years. They have just managed the feat of getting all the Source Code images up and for that they deserve an extra helping of Christmas Pud. There are also a few new on-set photos from Brokeback Mountain.
Jake Gyllenhaal is a movie star; he's also a movie fan. Several times over the years we've heard him talk about how importance the audience is for him and that it's the audience he thinks of during his performance. We've also had more than a few sightings of Jake at the pictures and the latest was earlier this week, on 29 May, at the ArcLight in Hollywood. The tweets, and there were several, were even more excited because Jake took along none other than old friend Adam Levine (I recognise that arm).
There are lots of pictures showing at the ArcLight but one tweet in particular suggests Jake and Adam were there to see Hangover 2 (tweets were posted in early hours of 30 May, hence date difference). One would have thought that Jake should have been there to see Kung Fu Panda 2, especially after all Jake's Kung Fu training. Clearly Jake missed the opportunity to pick up some tips from the black eyed tubby, furry master.
Adam is now in Venice (and I don't mean the one near LA). He appears to have fallen in love with this most beautiful of places.
The video below is a pap video. I don't often link to these for obvious reasons but in this one there is a slightly comical exchange between Jake and the guy with the camera.
Many thanks to IHJ for those pictures and thanks to Julia for the video heads up!
Update: The Moviefone Unscripted with Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan is now available to watch. With thanks to a friend for the heads up!
There are two shorter videos with it. Here is one while the other one (which won't embed) can be found at the link above.
In the words of Duncan Jones who tweeted this today: 'What do I have to do today.. trim beard, cut hair, mow lawn, wash clothes... was something else.. oh yeah. SOURCE CODE PREMIER TONIGHT!' I'm sure you'll agree that mowing the lawn and washing clothes would alone make today a special day, but throw in the premiere of Source Code and I reckon that makes it even better. Adding custard to the crumble is Jake Gyllenhaal's appearance on Conan O'Brien tonight.
And just in case Jake still has his eye on that iPad 2, on Friday, he and Duncan will be making an appearance in New York City's Apple store. Details, and product advertising, here.
Proving that it is possible to bowl without the help of a Wii, on 26 March Jake visited the Spare Room in LA with a group of friends, including Maroon 5's Adam Levine, to bowl and, according to US Weekly, drink Red Stripe beer. [Note to real ale drinking Brits, this is a lager from Jamaica.] Apparently, in addition to trying to persuade models to have a go, 'As the game progressed, the guys started high-fiving each other; at one point Jake did what looked like a little dance after bowling a spare.' Far be it from me to mention that this sounds as if the spares might have been few and far between. Possibly, this is because it's hard to bowl and have your hood up.
We have more interviews today with Jake, Duncan and, I'm delighted to say, Vera Farmiga. These include interviews from Coming Soon and Collider. You'll find these embedded below within extracts from another interview with Jake, courtesy of The Spec. The article is a little spoilery but these snippets below are not. It's interesting to hear Jake talk a little more about how fond he is of his role in Brothers, Tommy. But first a little on keeping Source Code fresh throughout.
'“We knew beforehand that the only way this was going to be engaging and intriguing and fun to watch was through variation,” Gyllenhaal said. “How Duncan staged a scene, how I responded, how I gathered information, how much I was aware of what was going, and how much I wasn’t aware. So it felt like a real tightrope walk for me. And as soon as I stopped thinking about all those cliched responses you might expect from an actor in a thriller, as soon as it became a real psychological exploration, it became fascinating to me.”'
'“I have a relatively strange mind,” Gyllenhaal says. “Some strange things are going to come from it.” While there has been the occasional payday, like “Prince of Persia” (“Even there I tried to throw in a little bit of something,” he countered), he’s also done “The Good Girl,” “Lovely & Amazing,” the grossly underappreciated “Zodiac” and, more recently, “Brothers,” the Jim Sheridan’s adaptation of the Susanne Bier’s Danish film. “I loved that story and I loved that character,” he said. “In fact, I loved that character maybe more than any I’ve played; I’d like to bring him back in some kind of incarnation again ‘cause I just loved what he was struggling with. But yeah,” he added. “I think things work the best when I listen to my own instincts.”'
Jake Gyllenhaal on his extra-curricular activities: 'I meditate. I cycle for hours. It’s not a physical activity for me as much as it’s a mental activity. I practice kung fu and wing chun.' Proving that this is indeed the case and Jake's not just reading from the Foreword of his You Too Can Look Like Me GyllenGuide, yesterday Jake was seen leaving the Wing Chun Kung Fu Studio in LA, looking a little sweaty.
Regrettably, these pictures show Jake talking in a doorway having completed his Wing Chun and not actually doing it. But thank heavens for PoP promo - my knowledge of kung fu was stricty limited to the No 1 super guy Hong Kong Phooey but now, thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal yet again, I have learned so much more.
Sidenote: Robert Downey Jr, a good friend of Jake's, has said on more than one occasion about how Wing Chun has helped him get back into physical and mental shape.
It is most definitely true that, as a movie star, one is more usually filmed leaving somewhere than actually doing the thing that one went there to do. This was also true on the night of 17 June when Jake was seen leaving Dan Tana's, an Italian restaurant in Hollywood. Here is the menu which almost approaches Oxford prices. I also can't help feeling intrigued by this: 'PENNE ARABIATA, a la Michael Kane'. Wouldn't Michael Caine be more pie and chips? There is a video of the exit but you have to put up with Ryan Phillippe's tantrum first.
Also rather interestingly (bear in mind I haven't actually been outside today to experience the world for myself, concentrating instead on perfecting my pale World Cup viewing complexion), Jake gets into a car that carries a Lakers flag but also has a soccer/football on the floor - an Italian one. Has Jake split his World Cup affiliations? Adam Levine, always gorgeous, was also with Jake for nosh. I think Adam must go out with Jake so that he doesn't get recognised himself. He uses Jake like camouflage.
Talking of coming and going, this video shows Jake and Adam and friends arriving at the finals game. Jake turns up just after the 3 minute mark but you can tell he's on his way because of the people yelling 'Jake! Jake! Jake!'. A familiar refrain.
Many thanks to IHJ for the pics! There are more there from yesterday.
Updated post because, as if it's not enough to see Jake Gyllenhaal out with The Jacket, now we have Jake, The Jacket AND the rather lovely Adam Levine! It's all too much. I would say at this point 'How can I get a chauffeur?' but I think Mr WDW would argue I already have one... I've said this before, I'll say it again: How do you spell Jake Gyllenhaal? H-O-T.
Back in those heady days of Prince of Persia London week, Jake Gyllenhaal appeared on the UK's Live at Studio 5 where he managed to reduce the interviewer and (to an even greater degree) the presenters back in the studio into a fluttery mess of giggles and blushes. Something to do with 'his beautiful eyes, those gorgeous lips and that... body'. With many thanks to Ruby for her technical wizardry (you may recall that my TV transmitter literally blew up that night - due to Jake's heat, no doubt), here is the interview.
Last night Jake Gyllenhaal took his many-zipped and much-travelled leather jacket out on the town in LA. First off, they enjoyed some award-winning sushi at Nobu before heading off to Las Palmas club with school friend and singer Adam Levine.
After hanging out with Marcus Mumford last weekend, wearing Jenny Lewis on his chest during the week, and out bopping with Maroon 5's frontman last night, one can only speculate which singer Jake will be seen with next. Lady GaGa perhaps.
Many thanks to IHJ for the pics and you can see more there.
A flyby post this evening because I have a nurse's cap and apron on - and I don't mean in a good way - so, in between looking after those who may not have been wise to eat that month-old pizza for lunch, here's a brief Jaking interlude.
I was very amused today by the Battle of the Bands between Maroon 5 - favourites of mine - and Radiohead - favourites of everybody in the world except me. So when I had the chance today I did some rummaging and discovered that Jake Gyllenhaal is - or was (probably far more accurate...) - a fan of Radiohead. Way back in 1999, the young Jake was asked what type of music he enjoyed and if he was still in a band: 'The band that I was in, "Holeshot," broke up. I am not currently in any band...but I am writing music and playing. I listen to all different kinds of music. I love The Pixies, Radiohead, Rufus Wainwright, Bob Dylan, The Toots and the Maytals, Beck, Belle and Sebastian, and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.'
Do we have any Toots fans out there? Someone who likes the Maytals maybe? At least, I've heard of Beck and even own a few songs by The Pixies. I do own several Radiohead albums but I blame that on factors beyond my control. I would love to hear something of the music Jake says he is writing here - I wonder if that's still a hobby he finds time for.
While looking at this old interview, I'm delighted to see that Jake appreciates the poems of Dylan Thomas. Following on from yesterday's theme, Jake also mentions: 'I would consider Paul Newman my biggest inspiration. I believe that he has made wonderfully wise choices in both his career and his life that I respect and admire. He is the real thing. I love Sean Penn's work. I also love Cate Blanchett's work. (those are just two actors that come to mind on impulse).' I believe that Jake too is that rare 'real thing'.
However, Jake may have been a fan of Radiohead but he has not appeared in a video with all or any of the band. But Jake has appeared with schoolpal Maroon 5 Adam Levine in the SNL spoof 'I Ran', which made fun of Jake's very hairy status at that time. This video is all but gone from the net but you can read the lyrics and still see the video here.
Bits and bits
Jake is now no longer merely 'rumoured' by IMDb to be a star of Nailed. Also firmly attached is my favourite X-Man (Cyclops James Marsden), Catherine Keener and Tracy Morgan.
Peter Sarsgaard continues to film An Education in London and has been spotted! Last night an IMDb reader posted: 'Well, I live just down the street from St John's Church (now a concert hall) in Smith Square, Westminster (where they filmed the wedding in Atonement) and they were filming a departing-a-theatre-or-opera scene where Rosamund says something like 'I hope so'. Sarsgaard and Dominic Cooper were also there. They are still dismantling the set as I speak!' The 'dismantling' bit means that yet again the chase continues!
Tonight the Golden Globes takes place, although as a press conference and not as a glamorous and very tipsy cermemony and meal at the Beverly Hilton. As the Globes failed to give Zodiac any recognition whatsoever, I'm not above a spot of petulance and I'll admit to not feeling too bothered by its downgrading. During the promotion of Rendition, Jake Gyllenhaal was asked if he was affected by this lack of recognition or by relatively low box-office takings: 'Y’know, creative expectations should be high, the results of those expectations should be low,... I hope people want to see these movies, but the focus should be on the fun you had doing it. I learned that from Brokeback Mountain. We made it for hardly anything and it earned about $200-million worldwide. That was just kind of nice.'
Elsewhere in the interview (with Bob Strauss), Jake talks about what influences him as a moviestar in Hollywood and what the term 'hero' means to him, with reference to Rendition: 'We’re all obsessed, at least in the movie industry, with doing ‘the right thing.’ Making movies about people who do the right thing — or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, people who don’t do the right thing and pay the consequences of doing the wrong thing. That’s the spectrum within which we work... But what I’m interested in in this movie is that I have a character who witnesses the torture. He doesn’t do the right thing, he just does the thing that makes sense. To me, that’s what it’s about. You create heroes, whatever your idea of a hero is. But heroes don’t exist. Human beings exist, and that’s what fascinates me about this movie.'
One gets the impression that Jake has grown surrounded by creative influences and pulls on his conscience, maybe not of all of which tugged him in the same direction: 'There are five people in my family who are all in that world... You really get a great perspective from that… Some really believe in something that others don’t. You just get tons of input, and it’s wonderful.'
A small price to pay to be the girl in the middle
Thanks to IHJ as always for providing new/old pictures of Jake at this time of drought. These pictures were taken in NYC in September 2006 and I remember the amusement at the time that two such strapping lads were letting the girl carry a box the size of a small car. Admittedly, Jake does have his hands full (sort of) and, of course, it could very well have been her choice but I know I'd have handed it over in the time it took to complete the sentence 'Jake, you've been shaving your legs again'.
Meanwhile, Jake's friend/assistant was fortunate enough to have dinner this time with Jake's other friend, the gorgeous and massively talented Adam Levine from Maroon 5.
