Exclusive report on Jake Gyllenhaal's appearance on the Queen Latifah Show and at the Prisoners LA premiere. Plus Jimmy Kimmel Live and more!

**Jake Gyllenhaal is on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight (17 January) - 10pm, Comedy Central**

Yesterday was a big day for Jake Gyllenhaal and for his fans, this time in LA. Jake recorded his appearance on the Queen Latifah Show in the morning and then on Jimmy Kimmel Live before walking the red carpet for the LA premiere of Prisoners. I am so pleased to have a report from WDW reader and an old friend of mine, Dani, who attended the Queen Latifah recording and them went round for the premiere. Thanks to her for taking the time to write such a long report.

Dani's report of the Queen Latifah Show

'Jake came out to thunderous applause and a whole lot of screaming - a good bit of it coming from me. They had a cluster of seats right on the floor right in front of where Jake sat. But I did get the first row of the regular seats. He wore a nice gray suit and a crisp white shirt. Along with THE SHOES! They don't seem so bad in person. Maybe that's because nothing about Jake could be bad in person. You know that more than anyone. Even the beard didn't bother me even though I worried that it might have tripled in length from the last pictures we saw. We know how fast he can grow that thing. His hair was thick and beautiful even though this current style he's wearing is not my favorite. He said we were the most colorful group of people he had ever seen, referring to all of our bright colors.'

'Jake had an easy rapport with Queen Latifah and told her how much he admired her talent and ability to do everything. He said he had always wanted to tell her that. He told some stories - not the dart one from Letterman - but one most fans have heard before. About his 13th birthday and how his parents made him spend it feeding the homeless so that he would understand that not everyone has a privileged life. It was nice to hear him talk about it. He also told a funny story that must have been planned because Latifah asked him about being popular in school and Jake went on an on with a Thesaurus worth of words describing how popular he was while behind him on the screen was the picture of him as a boy with the thick glasses and spikey hair. So he ended the story by saying that in truth he "was a stone cold nerd."'

'There were plenty of Jake facial expressions that we have come to love over the years but my favorite was after he was presented with all of the eye glasses the audience had donated - of which he was genuinely appreciative - Latifah said that Macy wanted to donate hers also. Macy being the singer Macy Gray who was appearing as a guest DJ, playing all kinds of cool music during breaks to keep the audience revved up. We really didn't need anything. The surprised look on Jake's face and his joyous shout out 'Macy', was like any fan reaction. Who knows how much of all of this will be in the final show. It took two hours to tape what will end up being about 45-50 minutes after they edit. I am just thrilled I got to hear everything Jake had to say. His segment was over way too fast.'

Dani's report of the Prisoners Premiere

Dani was with me back in 2007 when we went through the rather odd experience of the LA Zodiac premiere. It was move from its public address to behind close barriers at Paramount Studios, leaving us to peer through the gate. It was a very peculiar night but also one of the most memorable I've had (you can read about it here). I'm so glad that it worked out for Dani on this occasion.

'I thought it just wasn't in the cards for me to ever see a premiere of one of Jake's movies. I decided to drive back to Beverly Hills from Westwood one more time before heading home. That would be The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Building where they hold screenings for the Academy and special events. I had been there before in 2008 when I saw a screening of Brokeback Mountain with Diana Osanna as the guest speaker. In the 30 minutes since I had last passed by, a line of people wrapped around the block had emerged and the front entrance was definitely set up to receive arrivals for the premiere. Unfortunately, the fans had to stand across the street on the other side of busy Wilshire Boulevard.'

'From the time I finally got there, I only had to wait about 40 minutes before the stars started arriving. First was the director, Denis Villenueve, then Paul Dano. There were some other celebrities not in the film like Jeremy Renner. But the crowd was mostly waiting for Jake. As the black SUV approached I could see Jake sitting in the front seat next to the driver. I was praying a bus or some other monster vehicle traveling down the street was not going to block my view of him. It worked in my favor because I had a clear view of Jake when he emerged from the SUV. Immediately the crowd started yelling his name and I had my first experience of yelling JAKE! JAKE! He turned around and waved at us. Next thing we knew, the cars on the four lane busy boulevard seemed to part like the red sea and Jake, escorted by a police officer, dashed over to us. Everyone rushed at him, even to the point of risking life and limb by stepping into the street where cars had resumed moving forward. Jake said to step back so that we wouldn't get hit. Well, one girl said later that he said it directly to her, but I would like to think Jake cared about all of us. Anyway, this is when it sucks being short. So many tall people forced their way in front of me. I was still able to see Jake's head because I was about two feet away from him and he was taller than most of the people in front of me. But I didn't get a close up picture or get to say anything to him. Still, it was an unforgettable thrill and all it cost me was 14 hours of my life and a half of tank of gas. I would never do this again for anyone but Jake!'

Thank you,  Dani!

Jimmy Kimmel Live

Actor's Studio

This screens next week on 19 September but some quotes follow from Bravo:

"It felt like losing a family member, and it still does to this day." - Gyllenhaal on Heath Ledger's death

"It's a huge compliment..." - Gyllenhaal on his sexual orientation being questioned after "Brokeback Mountain"

"She's so sharp and smart and...courageous. I admire her courage, behind the camera and in front of the camera." - Gyllenhaal on working with Anne Hathaway

"The way you behave with everybody is more important than the work that you do. It's essential. It is everything... generosity and kindness and patience will get you so far. That's the biggest lesson I've learned." -Gyllenhaal's biggest piece of advice

"...My sister is, probably the reason why I do this, is somebody who I admire more than most anybody in the world, and she drives me f**king nuts sometimes... - Gyllenhaal on sister Maggie Gyllenhaal

Enemy

It appears that Enemy will be shown across the US after all. Details here.

Interviews

Interview with Jake in the LA Times

Jake's interview with VMan

Thank so much to IHJ for the new pictures from yesterday.

[Updated] More Jake video interviews to go with Jake Gyllenhaal on the Jimmy Kimmel Show - comes with a Karaoke warning...

While we catch up on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, which has left an image in my mind of Jake's mum traipsing around the less salubrious streets of London Town in search of elusive street artists, here are some more video interviews from today, courtesy of Collider and Reelz Channel. I particularly like the former because Jake talks about playing Wii Tennis. Wouldn't mind giving him a run for his money on that one... Ahem. Jake also says that he, like David O Russell, has no idea about what is happening with Nailed and that he always follows his director. Like that.



And some more bits and pieces:

And back to Jimmy K!

Last night, in the wee small hours, Jake Gyllenhaal appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the full interview in four chunks. As a Brit, I think I have just about unconfused Jimmies Kimmel and Fallon in my head now. Unnamed sources have informed me that Kimmel is the one with the merkin and not the yellow bananas.

Jake Gyllenhaal on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Last night, Jake Gyllenhaal was on Jimmy Kimmel (not quite) Live and, as always when Jake's on this show, you're gonna have a big laugh. But to be serious for a moment... please, please don't let your Mini Lego Jake see this interview - it'll give him serious inadequacy issues and he'll sulk for weeks. Many thanks to IHJ for having this ready for us this morning as we wake up to Jake!




I will be back later as PoP Wednesday continues - there is lots more to come!

Prince of Persia opens in the UK - Jake Gyllenhaal records Jimmy Kimmel, presents cake - & so many new interviews!

Prince of Persia opens today in the UK! If you're on these shores do go and see it - the perfect way to cool off from the hot sun - and you are assured of a treat. You may even get PoPcorn.



If posts were sea creatures, this one would be a Blue Whale, so I advise you to put your feet up, grab a cool beer out of the fridge and have plenty of snacks to hand. Jake Gyllenhaal recorded Jimmy Kimmel yesterday (before he heads off to a week of NYC and Canadian shows), providing the perfect pictures with which to illustrate the post - with thanks as always to the incomparable IHJ!


First off I must put a big yellow highlighter through the Jake Gyllenhaal interview conducted by our friends at HeyUGuys, who asked some interesting questions - not least about Jake's relationship with Paul Newman ('who did wonderful things for the human race') and Jamie Lee Curtis. Not to mention (although I am) the matter of whether Jake would like to direct in the future: 'I would, I’m almost 30 and I think it’s becoming less presumptuous of me to think I could. I would like to write and direct.' This is worth another look...



Among the new videos - and there are a few in this post - this one stands out from Access Hollywood, not least because it teaches us a little bit of how Brit culture is seen on the other side of the pond. [Please follow that link as the video has flash issues when I embed it.]


First off, most London pubs are English pubs; secondly, as Jake points out, where's the beer?; thirdly, those tables are too clean; fourthly, you don't pick up the peas, you let them land on the floor to get squashed into the bottom of your shoes along with the discarded chips; fifthly, the peas shouldn't roll as they should be mashed. But great to see Jake in a pub! Mine's a pint...




Last night, Jake rather obligingly stopped by an all-female audience screening of Prince of Persia in LA to gift cake and loveliness. Fortunately, it was all captured on video. According to People: '"The crowd went crazy when Jake entered," a source says, adding that the ladies sitting next to him seemed especially starstruck. Gyllenhaal thanked the fans for their support, then joked about a certain movie (starring Sarah Jessica Parker) that's opening the same weekend. "This," Gyllenhaal told his admirers as he pointed to his body, "is the real Sex and the City!"' Too right!



Jake also found time to recoup with some sunrays by a hotel pool, allowing his ubiquitous chest to breath unfettered.



Many thanks to IHJ for not only capturing Jake on MTV last night (a great series of snippets of interviews, including one about Parkour hand injuries -ugh) but also another Disney Movie Surfers featurette. This one includes those scary teens having a go at their own Parkour. Serious R rated stuff.




Jake Gyllenhaal is featured in today's Mirror newspaper. Once you get over the horrendous and completely uninspired and cheap review on the other side of the page, it is, nevertheless, good to read such a thoughtful interview. You can read it all online here, and I've scanned it below, but here are a couple of pieces that I liked the most.


"I've always been very athletic and I loved being able to train hard and work on my physique," he says. "You see your body transforming and feel yourself becoming the character. I also wanted to be in the kind of shape where I felt confident doing as much of the stunt work as possible. It would have been impossible to make this movie without my being able to the stunts. Luckily, I managed to pull that off without getting too badly hurt. I had a few injuries - mainly pulled shoulders and a twisted ankle. The worst thing that happened on set was when I accidently hit another actor in the face during a fight sequence. I felt terrible."'

'"Movies can be a very intense process and sometimes there are going to be confrontations depending on the circumstances," says Jake. "I know most people talk about what happened on Jarhead, and even though Peter and I didn't speak for a few weeks after one really bad argument, we became even better friends afterwards. Which is good, since he's married to my sister Maggie! The film was a very tough shoot about guys who are being trained to kill in the Gulf War. We were all going a little out of our minds on that set which probably elevated our performances to where they needed to be for the film. With Peter, we were doing a scene where he gets slammed to the ground by me and some other guys. We did several takes and Peter was getting hurt. At one point we both just exploded. But a lot of it was just tension building up on the set and I was probably overdoing it in terms of playing my character."'


'"Heath and I had different ways of working," he explains. "I was trying to apply things I had seen other actors do - like where you interrupt the other actor to change the dynamic of the scene. Heath got pretty irritated with me and we had some arguments about that. Then we found a way of working together that was much more comfortable. Maybe I helped him in some way - but now, of course, it's impossible to know."'

'"Soccer is my other obsession in life," he grins, "and I'm looking forward to going to South Africa and watching some matches. I think the American team is very strong and we can do well."' Hopefully Jake won't mind, then, that David Beckham crept into this page from this week's New magazine.


Time to get back to what's on everyone's mind... Jake's body. According to an interview at Skip.at and reproduced here: '“Of course I worked out a lot! But we always had to make sure not to overdo it. Jerry kept popping into the gym to check our muscles weren’t getting too big, because he didn’t want us to look too massive on screen. He said, ‘Always remember – no huge biceps!’ "For a whole month I did a lot of climbing and sword fighting.”'

'Jake insists Jerry was a constant inspiration on set and has even made him consider becoming a movie producer himself...“Seeing Jerry producing this film I just thought, ‘I want to do this as well!’ He knows how to make the most complicated things look easy. And I love films more than anything – so it’s only logical for me to work behind the camera as well.”' Interesting.

There is another huge interview at Wonderwall - this one's so big, you'll want to take time with it. And it's a sidescroller too - how fitting. A few bits and pieces: 'I think when I read the script, it made me think of or reminded me of when I first watched "Indiana Jones." I remember watching "Willow" when I was kid. I just stopped and thought, "Hey now. I've never really made a movie when I haven't taken myself so seriously and enjoyed myself and got to play a character and kick some butt," and, you know, light things on fire and run across walls and have a good time doing it. So I just remember the first sequence of the movie that I read, which is the first scene in the movie, this sequence where we climb up the wall and they're shooting arrows in the air and I just remember thinking how fun that seems and I thought, "I want to try my hand at that."'


'I don't know if I believe in redos. 'Cause I definitely do believe the lessons you learn in life, you are meant to keep them with you. But probably go back to the little kid who was playing the first "Prince Of Persia" video game, little me, when it first came out on the first Mac computer. I would go to him and whisper in his ear, "Guess what? In 20 or some odd years you are going to be acting in the lead of the Jerry Bruckheimer version of this video game. It's kinda like 'Indiana Jones.''' And you know, I'd love to see him go like, "Oh, who are you? Go away you're creepy." No, I'd just love to see him be psyched about that.'

[On a battle between Dastan and Iron Man] 'Oh, wow. You know what? I'm biased in two ways. One, Robert Downey Jr. is a close friend of mine and I think Iron Man is pretty badass. So I would definitely give them an even tie in different ways. So that's my boy there. So I can't really say one way or the other.'


And more on those little ostrich blighters: 'I definitely have my ostrich issues. But slowly, as I talk it out with the press, I'm really getting over it. I think I'll slowly friend Alfred Molina's character in the movie, and maybe I'll even give 'em a smooch one day and feel comfortable about it. So I'm really working through it and its going well...There's nothing like a big beautiful pair of eyes.'

'You know, I've gotta say the most difficult part of this film was buckling the swash. Swashbuckling isn't so easy. In order to buckle the swash it takes a pretty proficient swashbuckler. So bucking the swash every day was pretty difficult. That was probably the most difficult. I mean you really gotta buckle, like if you're gonna buckle it, you swashily buck the swash. You gotta own it in order to swash buckle.'

'And the boots, you know the boots that I wore were specially designed. In fact I hear that the cast of "Sex and the City" were trying to get themselves a pair.' [Thanks to BBMISwear for the People page.]


'I think it’s wonderful being an uncle. I mean, my niece is incredible and she's, like, constantly positive little truth teller. I love her. I adore her. I would do anything for her. So, you know, it's nice to be her uncle, and I try to see her as much as possible. And I go out of my way to do that. Since she‘s the next generation of little Gyllenhooligans. Even though she's a Sarsgaard. But she's half of us, so, you know.' Read more at Wonderwall.

And lest we forget that there are more goodies on the way, Jake spoke a little to MovieWeb about Source Code. 'The story is really complicated to explain but essentially it deals with different time realities and the issue of one person getting stuck in different time continuums. Ultimately it's kind of like the way The Usual Suspects works, everything kind of comes together in this immaculately perfect way at the end that kind of blows your mind.'


'Working with Duncan was extraordinary. I think he is the next generation of director... He is like an incredible talent and I hope to make many more movies with him because he is amazing. It is true that he is from great artistic stock but he's his own thing and was an incredible collaborator, as well as an incredible leader. I can't say enough nice things about him. I feel like I'm totally kissing his ass, which I am but I loved working with him. I think he is going to make a sick, sick movie. I think we've made an incredible film.'

And on that note, I think I'll stop for this evening and pick up again later! Have a great weekend and thanks to IHJ! Other pics from links and WDW scans. Phew!