Jake Gyllenhaal - Edible Schoolyard, much food talk, Words of War, a bit of basketball

Jake Gyllenhaal is, I think you'll agree, very edible. It's therefore extremely appropriate that he should be honoured by Edible Schoolyard at its inaugural Spring benefit on 15 April at Essex Market in NYC. This event, hosted by a charity with which Jake has long been actively involved, was supposed to happen last October but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.

In the New York Observer: “Seriously, it’s one of the areas of my life where I hold everything with love and no judgment,” said the actor. “Anything that is fresh from a garden is my favorite food.” Mr. Gyllenhaal’s mother, screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, corroborated his story. Apparently he didn’t even object to broccoli as a kid: “He was very adventurous, and always, from the time he was really little, a spectacular cook,” she said proudly.'

The Wall Street Journal:  'Mr. Gyllenhaal grew up with gardens in his homes in Los Angeles and Martha's Vineyard. We wondered, who had a greener thumb, he or Maggie? "Me," he said, after a short pause. As brothers cannot always be trusted to assess superiority over their sisters, we asked Naomi Foner, Mr. Gyllenhaal's mother. "It's Jake," she said. "He helped me plant our vegetable garden and worked really hard at it."

'Ms. Foner is also a fan of the organization. "Most kids in New York don't see gardens," she said. "And people only know what they know. When you expand their horizons, you're giving them an enormous gift." She then sought out a photo from her iPhone depicting her granddaughter, Gloria, mauling a garden-grown tomato. "I mean, is there anything better than a warm tomato that you grew yourself right off the vine, maybe with a little bit of salt and olive oil?"'

Jake also had this to say during his speech: '“It’s about more than just what you eat—it’s about being connected to the earth,” he explained. “Like, what would New York City be without Central Park? I mean, there’s not much edible food in there…but still. That idea exists within the city, and it should exist in every public school.”

At the event, Jake also mentioned his teenage job as a busboy on Martha's Vineland. His boss was asked all about it in New York Grub Street. 'Well, he was very young. I think he had just turned 16 at the time. On Martha’s Vineyard in July and August, it’s crazy-busy. Every night is like a busy Saturday night, so you need everybody to show up to work, right? He had his mother call into the restaurant to say that he was sick for the day. My buddy and I who ran the place were like, "Oh my God. I can’t believe that Jake’s mother just called to say that he’s home sick and can’t come to work."'

'So the next morning, we went to the drugstore and bought a baby bottle and a little pacifier, and when he came back to work, we gave him so much shit. We just didn’t let up. Every day for the rest of the summer, we kept on giving him water in a baby bottle. He was just telling me how that kind of resonated with him in terms of work ethic, so I thought it was kind of cute.'

Sounds a right hoot... I can see why Jake took up lifeguarding.

Words of War

On 8 May, Jake will take part in another charitable event - Words of War hosted by the Headstrong Project at IAC HQ in NYC: 

'This cocktail fundraiser is designed to further support the mission of the Headstrong Project, to help veterans recover from the hidden wounds of war in order to lead full and meaningful lives. Specifically, “Words of War” will support comprehensive mental healthcare for military veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. The evening will include a war poetry reading by Jake Gyllenhaal.' 

There are more details here

In NYC

There are wonderful new old pictures on IHJ of Jake in NYC back in 2011. Last week, though, Jake was also in the city. Jake and 'Jay-Z kicked back at the rapper's 40/40 Club in New York City Monday night, watching the NCAA championship basketball game in the Owner's Lounge. The two, joined by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, exchanged a big hug when they met up, then spent the evening snacking on the club's signature wings and sipping D'Usse cognac.'

Many thanks to IHJ for such fab pics! It's so good to see Jake out and about again, past and present.

Jake Gyllenhaal talks about why growing food and why he loves London so much (something to do with sprouts)

This Friday, Jake Gyllenhaal is presenting some of the scholarships at the LA Conservation Corps ceremony in LA. This weekend, though, an event takes place which may well influence what Jake is up to for the few days after that.Obviously I am purely speculating but I don't think it's beyond the realms of all possibility that Jake may attend this weekend's nuptials of good friends Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford in the English countryside.

As is my wont, this is the perfect excuse to go off tangent and post links to a couple of audio interviews Jake did for Edible Schoolyard a year ago which relate to the conservation and food growing theme and, in the second audio clip, to Jake's love of Britain and London:

'Consciously, or unconsciously, I love that country, and particularly love London itself. I just find it to be - now the food is extraordinary to be there - and I just love the people there. Most of my friends are British strangely too and I find them to be loyal, intelligent and caring people, not unlike most people around the world, but in particular I just love that town. And I love I think most of all their idea of supporting potential. Particularly in the arts. They see somebody that they see in the spirit of growing. When they see a sprout that they think might be a nice plant, they fertilise it and they support it... it doesn't have to be a full-grown plant, amazing from the outset, it's all about supporting potential and I really respect that about that culture and them and I felt greatly supported by them in so many ways. London was the first city that really supported Donnie Darko, a movie that I did. I feel a great love for them.'

Remember this video of Mumford and Sons performing in a small room of people including Jake and Carey?



This post includes a new picture from IHJ from 5 April of Jake and Maggie in NYC. Of course, Peter may well have been the one to introduce Jake and Carey following their appearance together in An Education and then on stage in NYC in the Seagull. Thanks to BBMISwear for the link.

[Upated] Jake Gyllenhaal: A Garden Revolutionary and 'hanging with Bear'

With special congratulations to the French contingent to LA that will leave the US with extremely heavy suitcases, it is a shame to say that Jake Gyllenhaal was notable in his absence from last night's Oscars. But even though we don't get new pictures of Jake in a tux, we have the next best thing - Jake with a spade. Yes, Jake appears with his his fellow Garden Revolutionary Alice Waters in the March issue of Bon Appetit. 'He genuinely believes... he has his hands in the ground', says Alice of Jake. Click and it shall be embiggened. Many thanks to BBMISwear for the scan!

Updated to add another picture. Source.

Speaking of earthy matters and the great outdoors, enthusiastic Brit Bear Grylls has been talking about his spirit of adventure. It's good to see that Jake was not deterred by his Icelandic experiences. We know that Jake and Bear had dinner together during his recent visit to the UK but it seems that this is very much not a one off.

'Then there was the time he and Jake Gyllenhaal, a friend since the actor appeared on “Man vs. Wild” last season, decided to go for a leisurely boat ride in the Santa Monica Bay. “We pull out of Marina del Rey and, I’m not joking, it’s like standing waves, 30 feet high. Absolute monsters,” Mr. Grylls said. “We just got smashed to bits.” “Hanging with Bear is not for the faint of heart,” Mr. Gyllenhaal wrote in an e-mail. “He is always pushing the limit, and it is infectious to be around.”'

I have it on excellent made up authority that sleeping inside a camel carcass is still on Jake's todo list.

Applause greets End of Watch's test screening, out and about with Jake and WDW's Tuscan Interlude continues

It's one of those good old days when we have a bit of catching up to do with Jake Gyllenhaal. Firstly, End of Watch has had its initial test screening and, thanks to Mermon, we know a little bit about it. One of the lucky people who was there couldn't give much away, as you'd imagine having had to sign umpteen bits of paper, but she did say that there was applause at the end and that it was: 'a mix of Harsh Times, Drive, Cops, and Training Day. Very emotional, funny, and realistic.' Sounds great! And it also sounds nearer...

Thanks to Twitter we also know that Jake was back at Edible Schoolyard this month. A photo has been released of Jake with Edible Schoolyard founder Alice Waters and a bunch of schoolkids who are reaping the benefits of this project.

On 13 December Jake attended a Kanye West and Jay-Z concert in LA where apparently the two stars sang one track ten times. The picture below is courtesy of Jake Weird. There is more information on the star-glittery occasion at the Staples Center here.

While Source Code didn't make the Golden Globes list for some reason known only to single cell organisms, there has been a bit of love for Jake's films this week. As the new Sherlock Holmes film opens, the San Francisco Chronicle has been ruminating on some of Robert Downey Jr's other top movies, including Zodiac. I always enjoying seeing this, quite possibly my favourite of Jake's movies, receiving some love and recognition. Den of Geek has been reflecting on the significance of Source Code for Jake's and Duncan Jones' career and Source Code was among the top 11 films of the year for the Sun-Times. As the year's end draws ever nearer, I am sure there will be more lists with a Jake film on them.

We do like so see Jake in the polls, especially the more outlandish ones. Jake's name makes an appearance in the latest poll from British Airways in which 'Madonna, Brad Pitt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek and Matthew Fox emerged as the top celebrities to spend Christmas with'. Obviously, Jake's a good cook - double bonus - and I'm quite sure he's not above a spot of washing up. It seems appropriate to post another photo of Airport Jake (and Airport Jake Fashion), thanks to IHJ.

WDW Italian Interlude Part 2!

I regret to inform you that the WDW Italian Interlude continues. This time it features Lucca - a beautiful walled Tuscan town which is built on the footprint of a Roman settlement - and Fiesole - a small hilltop town outisde Florence with the most wonderful Roman and Etruscan remains, including a theatre complete with vomitorium. Essential for bad theatre, I'm sure you'll agree.

Lucca's main square isn't square, it's round and that's because it was originally the Roman amphitheatre. When we were there it was taken over by a film crew that seemed to spend an awful amount of time not doing very much (and seemed to follow us around like a bad penny). Trees grow on towers in Lucca.

Fiesole sits high in the clouds, making it a very atmospheric sport for some Roman drama, followed by a dip in the bathhouse.

My review of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is now up at MovieBrit.

Jake Gyllenhaal on washing lettuce and watching things grow

It's always a good day when we have a new interview with Jake Gyllenhaal and today is one of those days. He's not talking about movies, instead it's that ever favourite subject of food. Chic Report talks to Jake (and swoons a little) about his two-year association with Edible Schoolyard and his love of grub and certain vegetables. Jake also mentions his farmer friend in Martha's Vineyard. Having eaten one of his tomatoes (and actually bought the t-shirt), I can vouch for the quality of his greens (and reds).

I was raised in Los Angeles, but I spent my summers, since I was born, in Martha's Vineyard. My best friend, since we were little kids, lives there, and he's a farmer. His whole family farms. I know it might seem odd, but it's what I love more than anything. Being in gardens have been some of the most wonderful times of my life. Washing lettuce and watching things grow...you feel connected to the world. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything that connects you to the universe in the same way that planting a seed does.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of washing lettuce. However, after Jake's recent comments about making Kale Pizzas with schoolkids, there is more mention of this enigmatic green here.

I'd say right now, after an extensive search over the years and living the wonderful life that I've had so far, and after tasting many, many vegetables...cavolo nero. It's like a really soft kale. You can eat it any form: cooked, raw...

Do take a look at the rest of the interview. I can't wait for the next one.

Pictures from the Global Green event back in February 2009 from IHJ. Thanks to Mrs JG for the heads up!

Jake Gyllenhaal cooks up a treat and Source Code opens in Japan!

I do apologise for any blurring in this post. Having endured dental surgery this afternoon and then had to deal with leaking sewage, I hope I may be forgiven for my levels of spaced outedness. However, as I get ready for a month of liquid diet (liquid in more ways than one), it does me good to see that there are some people who can still eat. Top amongst them is eating maestro Jake Gyllenhaal, who not only eats for pleasure he also eats for charity. We have new pictures today, thanks to IHJ, of Jake attending a NYC Edible Schoolyard event.

On Wednesday (26 October), chef Gabrielle Hamilton was given the task of cooking for Edible Schoolyard's NYC benefactors, many of whom may have been delighted to see Jake among their number, particularly when he owned up to his prowess with a kale pizza. The report shows how Jake has been visiting schools and cooking with the kids, who 'like making pizza with the Prince of Persia'. Personally, I wouldn't like to limit it to pizza.

Source Code opens in Japan!

Source Code today opens in Japan! This is great news - at last SC has reached as far as it will go. I must thank our friend Rintaro Wintanabe for this photo he took today. You can also, if you read Japanese, read Rintaro's interview with Duncan Jones here. I wish everyone associated with Source Code all the best of luck in Japan and I am so glad that our friends in Japan may at last see the film we've been raving about for so many months.

Jake Gyllenhaal in San Francisco and a WDW Dibley Interlude

All is quiet on the Jake Gyllenhaal front at the moment, possibly because Jake has slipped away to the north to San Francisco and Berkeley. Jake was seen by a few tweeters at Four Barrel coffee shop on Friday night and then on Saturday he was snapped at the Berkeley Apple store. I'm so glad they were able to get a picture - proof indeed that the hair (and the face pet) is growing.

Thanks to IHJ, we also learn that Jake has signed a poster that is being auctioned for Edible Schoolyard. You can read about that here and also bid for it. IHJ also has new pictures of Jake appearing on Radio Europa in Moscow, back in those glorious PoP days of May 2010. There are a couple here and more can be found there.

WDW Dibley Interlude

I'm a big Vicar of Dibley fan and, even though the series was filmed just a few miles from where I live, today was the first time I've visited the beautiful village of Turville. And in the gorgeous warm autumnal sunshine too. Sitting outside in the beer garden looking at the wood smoke pouring out of the chimneys, it was idyllic. If you've seen the show, you may recognise the church and the vicarage. Of course, if you've never heard of Vicar Of Dibley (starring Dawn French), as is very possible, then apologies and I hope you like the photos of one of the prettiest villages in these parts!

A Vicar of Dibley reminder!

We also visited the windmill at Brill, a medieval village known for its clay pits (for pots), and Fengest, a village with one of the loveliest churches I've seen. Built in the early 13th century at the latest, it has a curious double set of towers. The day was rounded off by the site of two fallow deer running past us on the country roads.

Photos by WDW and links.

My review of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy at MovieBrit.

Meet Anna Kendrick, Jake Gyllenhaal's dancing End of Watch co-star plus more Edible Schoolyard

I'm back! It might have taken a nine-hour drive today but at least I got home without breaking down this time. That's a bonus. I have catching up to do but, in the meantime, here is another E News video from the End of Watch filming, thanks to Monica. Finally, we get to see Jake Gyllenhaal with the lovely Anna Kendrick. There is dancing...



Here's a closer look:


I'm also delighted to post some photos of Jake with the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco (via IHJ), who featured with Jake in his appearance on Today this week for Edible Schoolyard. Interestingly, a good friend from San Francisco emailed me earlier in the month to say that Jake had been spotted in the city on 2 August.




And finally...

Thanks to Leslie, here are some details about the bracelet that we've noticed on the wrist of Jake's Officer Taylor. Apparently, it will get you out of any and every scrape as well as cook you breakfast.

Includes pictures from IHJ.

My review of Final Destination 5 in 3D is now at MovieBrit.

Jake Gyllenhaal and David Ayer talk End of Watch, Edible Schoolyard on Today and a WDW Cornish Interlude

You know what it's like, you go away for a few days and what happens? Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't appear on TV just the once, he makes two TV appearances in the time it takes me to drink a pint of Spingo* (*local Cornish ale). Most Jake and director David Ayer spoke to E! about the rigours of training for End of Watch. This provides us of our first glimpse of Jake with Ayer, a figure with whom we will no doubt become familiar over the coming year.



A few days ago, Jake continued to show his support for a charity close to his heart, Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard, which encourages youngsters in cities to grow the food they'll eat. There are full details here and you can watch the video from the Today show below.



With many thanks to IHJ, we have some screencaps from the two shows, a few of which are below but you can enjoy many more there.





WDW Cornish Interlude

Meanwhile, I'm having a fine time in that most beautiful of places, Cornwall. I'd like to do my bit for the English tourism board and post a few pictures of some of the places that have made me stop and stare this week. These include Clovelli (the village of a million steps) on the north coast of Cornwall, Charlestown on the south, Kynance on the southwestern tip and Mullion Cove on the Lizard, one of my favourite places that I keep returning to.

Jake Gyllenhaal will not be in Bourne, 'am I a fresh vegetable or am I canned?' and our own report from Duncan Jones' Boston Q&A!

After yesterday's confirmation that Jake Gyllenhaal will star next in David Ayer's LA cop drama End of Watch, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise that the Bourne Legacy rumour that was spinning around is nothing but a red herring - albeit a rather attractive red herring. Jake told Extra: 'That's quite a rumor and that would be amazing if that were true, but it's unfortunately not.' Intriguingly, when asked if he was still 'on the market' Jake responded 'do you mean I am a fresh vegetable or am I canned? Can you pay for me at the checkout? Is that what you mean? You can definitely pay for a little piece of me if you go see 'Source Code.''



To continue the vegetable theme, Jake's role as ambassador for Edible Schoolyard has shifted up a gear with 'a new campaign to prompt America's public schools to grow their own fruit and vegetables'.


'We're trying to make it possible to have an edible garden in every public school in America," [Jake] explains. "Kids can have a new relationship to nature and to their food and to their diet and an understanding where their food comes from. Kids can take classes in these gardens and learn mathematics by counting vegetables and engage in the world in a different way than we're used to in schools. It's basically to take a piece of the concrete out and put in a garden where children can explore and learn and hopefully it changes them. I grew up around edible gardens all over the place in Los Angeles and a little bit outside of Boston, and it's changed my perspective on the world and I think it could change the world."'


'"My family always emphasized it and it's an incredibly economic way of feeding the family and having everybody learn where your food comes from. It's something that I care deeply about. I remember my niece, when she was first born, and the great irony of her learning how to walk by holding onto tomato plants and how to count with cherry tomatoes."'

I'm trying to remember what I learned to count with but I don't think it was tomatoes...


Last night, 21 March, Duncan Jones' Source Code screening tour reached the fabulous city of Boston. You can read details of the event here in the Examiner but I'm delighted to say that one of our own was at the event, BBMISwear, and with her usual generosity has sent us some photos and an account of the occasion. I saw Duncan at a Q&A for Moon and talked to him afterwards and I must agree with everything BBMISwear says about Duncan, surely the friendliest and most generous of directors. Over to BBMISwear:


'Duncan got a big round of applause when he entered the front of the theater as the end credits rolled on the screen. He discussed a few things we know already – (i.e. the British song that was in Moon and pops up again in SC, how he met with Jake about another project and Jake thought that was great but wanted him to take a look at the Source Code script, etc.). He was asked about the script and he said the structure was all very sound but there were two things he wanted to change – first, it was very serious and he wanted to lighten the tone and inject humor and Jake got on board with that and they both felt that would help the film. Second, he wanted to change the ending – he thinks that when the audience sees it they are either frustrated with the ending or love the ending with not many people just thinking it was all right.'


'I got to ask question and asked about something I saw on the B-roll with Jake saying to Duncan that the source code changes everything – future, present and past - and it seemed he was trying to convince Duncan of how that should be included but Duncan was telling him that no, that would make her (Catrina) something she is not – I asked him to tell us a bit about that. I recorded his answer with my phone – he responded with: “We had a lot of rehearsals and discussions covering where we had to get to in each scene and then we shot it all consecutively to stop it from getting too confusing while we were shooting. But, it is a very confusing idea and I think that was part of the trick of the script was to keep it simple enough that an audience can really just go with it and accept the logic behind it. Because if you think about it too much you start to fall into paradoxes which are there by design and that’s just the nature of time travel films - by their very nature.”'


'He was also asked about getting a start as a script writer, the Mute graphic novel, writing his next film now that is inspired by Blade Runner, being a sci-fi fan (here he noted he treats it seriously but thinks humor is an incredibly powerful tool and learned you can use it to get the audience to bond with a character and empathize with him and share a joke with the hero and then he becomes one of your buddies – he pointed at the screen at this point – it was obvious he was referring to Colter)!'


'After the Q&A many people headed down front to say hi and get autographs and pictures – I did all three and must say the man is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet at an event like this! He stayed and stayed and didn’t turn anyone away - happily taking pictures with anyone who wanted to do so. Rodene was right there next to him and after using her super-duper camera during the Q&A she was happy to take hold of all camera phones that were given to her (including mine) so she could take pictures for anyone that asked! She joked that we all now are going to have Duncan’s cold! (My pictures came out okay but unfortunately with a camera phone and bad lighting there wasn’t a chance of anything spectacular).'


'I only had a minute to talk to him at this point so I used my time wisely and requested that Duncan please, please, please make sure he and Jake do an audio commentary feature on the DVD as people love that and there seems to be less and less of those these days. He said that he thinks they are going to do that and I added, again, that he must do it with Jake because the two of them are terrific together based on what we’ve seen so far and he laughed at that and nodded with a big smile! It’s so obvious how fond these two are of each other. Let’s hope we get what we’re asking for on that DVD!!'

DVD commentary with Jake and Duncan? Yes, please!


This post includes new pictures from the LA press conference at the weekend, with many thanks to IHJ, and BBMISwear's photos from last night. Thank you BBMISwear for sharing your experience!