Jake's love of film - 'That's the performance I look up to'

Yesterday, when discussing Jake Gyllenhaal's influence on the creation and marketing of his friend David Modigliani's film Crawford, we read that Jake identified with the people of this small town - the film clearly reached out to Jake and did what good films are supposed to do and hooked him. Many of us, if asked to name our favourite films, would include at least one film by Jake, probably right at the top of the list, if not filling the entire list or at least a good chunk of it. For me, Zodiac, Brokeback Mountain and Donnie Darko are forever fighting amongst themselves for top spot, with Zodiac perhaps having the edge, at least some of the time.


This made me think about what films Jake has said that he has enjoyed or watched. As a movie actor, one would imagine that Jake is a lover of good movies and a night out at the cinema or in front of a DVD, so here is a look at just some of the films that Jake has mentioned.


At the end of 2007, in Jonathan Ross' review of a year of cinema, Jake and Heath Ledger were amongst the actors who had featured in the show during the year and whose opinions were sought on their favourite movie of 2007. Both Jake and Heath pulled out one film - Once. This film tells the story of an Irish street musician who meets a Czech girl and they immediately bond over their shared love of music. Jake: 'I saw that movie Once. I loved that movie... I just thought it was a brilliant piece of moviemaking', while Heath said of Once: 'It was really sweet.'


When Jake was promoting Zodiac back in February and March of last year - blimey, over a year ago - he appeared on MTV's TRL show. A fan asked Jake which performance by any actor he would like to have given himself. Jake chose Ryan Gosling's Oscar-nominated performance in Half Nelson. This film tells the story of history teacher Dan and his relationship with Drey, 'a 13-year-old student of his who catches him in the bathroom smoking crack after school one day. Drey understands Dan's frustrations with life; she is the child of an overworked single mother whom she barely sees, and spending so much time on her own has made her self-reliant, but also hard on the edges.'


Jake has yet to do a role such as this - one that would challenge the sympathy of his audience, far beyond the almost stone-faced ambivalence of Douglas Freeman and Rendition. It sounds like Jake has it in him and is ready for that challenge.

Another performance that Jake singled out was that of Matt Damon in The Good Shepherd. During promotion of Rendition, Jake frequently mentioned this CIA drama, directed by Robert de Niro, which culminated in the drama of the Bay of Pigs episode.



At the Rendition press conference in LA, Jake even joked that he did his best to copy the best bits from Matt's performance: 'The Good Shepherd actually, which is think - just a little shout out to Matt Damon - that's a pretty incredible performance. More about less he does, the more he does. That's the kind of performance I look up to. So I just tried to copy it.'


Whe it comes to being moved by a film, the two films that Jake has mentioned are his mother's Running on Empty and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which starred Kirsten Dunst and Kate Winslet. Vogue: 'Jake Gyllenhaal, the shambling, sad-eyed indie hipster turned Hollywood leading man, defines his generation through these distinguishing tics: "People who were moved when Kurt Cobain died, slap bracelets, Jenga, CHiPs in syndication." Then there are the movies: The Matrix, Being John Malkovich, Memento, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind—"which is about being able to love and how actually hard it is to really do that. It may be easy for other people, but it's hard for me; I cried like a fucking baby'... 'His mother, the screenwriter Naomi Foner, wrote Running On Empty ("That movie still moves me," her son says. "It always makes me cry").'


On a lighter note, Jake made it clear during the promotion of The Day After Tomorrow that he enjoys a summer blockbuster. 'I liked Twister', he said at the Ice Factory. Jake told IndieLondon that he loved Independence Day: 'I love big movies and I always have. I love watching them. I’ve never been a cineaste, preferring just small, independent films. I love big entertainment movies.' Contact Music: 'Gyllenhaal, 23, is a huge fan of the INDEPENDENCE DAY actor and thinks the wise-cracking action star is a "genius", after being pushed to the limit making The Day After Tomorrow. He says, "Will Smith is my hero. He's a genius, he really is, and you also realise that MEL GIBSON or HARRISON FORD are incredible at this type of thing. It takes a lot of concentration."'


And one of the perks of being a star is that you get the chance to attend the occasional Harry Potter premiere...


This breadth of appreciation and the range of possibilities for Jake's future career, not limited by genre or preconceptions, means we are in for an amazing time, as is Jake.

Includes pictures from IHJ.

Jake - 'I found myself identifying with the people of Crawford' - and working in the movies

Today, we learnt a little bit more about Jake Gyllenhaal's role as advisor on the recent film Crawford. The documentary, premiered in Austin, Texas, this month, records what life was like for the people of this Texas town when Bush, shortly to be President Bush, moved in, putting the 'sleepy town' on the political map and pushing it into the election circus. We've discussed before how Jake, along with other stalwarts of Martha's Vineyard (Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson and Brad Silberling), was on the advisory board but in this interview we discover more about the motivations of first time filmmaker David Modigliani and the role of the advisory board, in particular Jake Gyllenhaal.


'I sent an early cut of the film to all of them. I had pathways to get them the film, and they responded really positively. I think they were excited about the nonpartisan nature of the film, and Jake said to me, "I found myself identifying with the people of Crawford, who I never would have thought I'd identify with. Because of this whole ride of the Bush era, I could see my experience in theirs, or I could see their experience in mine." That's what he was excited about. So I created an advisory board because they didn't put any money into it, they weren't going to be producers or executive producers. But they were excited about the film and gave notes on that early cut. Since then, they've given me advice about approaching festivals and distribution. They really acted in an advisory capacity.'


'I grew up knowing Jake a bit [during summers in Martha's Vineyard] when I was a kid. But my parents don't really know — I mean, I wouldn't consider them family friends. I would consider Jake a friend.' And now Jake has a chance to use his influence to support his friend practically and professionally.


Over the last couple of days we have been discussing the growing number of actors linked to Nailed, not to mention the chance of locals to get in on the act in a week of castings for extras, which reminded me of this interview with Seth Rogen, who was an extra in Donnie Darko. His job was to lurk in the background and his motivation was, bemusement and bafflement. This was clearly intentional on the part of director Richard Kelly.


'You know, honestly, I did that movie – I mean, my part in it is so minute – but I was kind of just around a lot, one of those things where I’m just caught in the background of a lot of shots, just, like, in the high school a lot. So I was there a lot. And I really had no idea what the movie was about! I didn’t get it at all! And I remember being at a party with the director (Richard Kelly) about halfway through shooting, and I was really drunk, and so was he, and I was just, like, “Dude, I don’t get it, man!” And he was, like, “I don’t think anyone’s gonna get it, man! I’m really scared!” It turned out great; I think it was just beyond me...and still is, to some degree! But it definitely makes sense on a much greater level now. It’s amazing. I knew it seemed good; I just didn’t understand why it was good. It just seemed like something interesting. It’s really funny to me that that turned into this huge cult thing, and that people in England are grafitti-ing “Donnie Darko” on walls. It’s great. I couldn’t be happier for Jake (Gyllenhaal) and Richard Kelly; those guys are great guys. I’m glad I was there to watch it, even though I had no clue what I was watching at the time!'


And finally

Maggie Gyllenhaal has been speaking more about what it was like to act in a whole new genre of movie: 'They took really good care of me. I thought I might get bruised up but in fact, I didn't. They really knew what they were doing. I was scared to do some of the action stuff I had to do, and I did it once, and I was like, 'Oh, this is a blast!''


Thanks to Monica for the link. Includes pictures from IHJ.

You can be in Nailed! Jake on Brokeback - 'It moves in a way people aren't used to'

You can be in Nailed too! Should you live anywhere near Columbia, South Carolina, it appears you have three alternatives: 1. You get a part as an extra yourself; 2. You get your daughter (aged 7 to 12) hired as an extra; 3. You get your car a part instead - this last one is obviously the least desirable. Incidentally, I couldn't help but be interested that they only want cars from the 50s, 70s and 90s. What was up with the 60s and 80s? Castings will be held at Dutch Square Mall at 421 Bush River Road, Columbia, on Thursday and Saturday - full details here.


There is also information about the casting of more prominent roles. As we were discussing earlier, Catherine Keener (who starred with Jake in Lovely & Amazing) - along with James Marsden and Tracy Morgan - 'are in final negotiations to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel in David O. Russell's romantic comedy Nailed'. Is it really going to be promoted as a romcom? Nailed is due to begin filming in South Carolina on 14 April and still Jake Gyllenhaal is only 'rumoured' to be its co-star.


Brokeback revisted

Some time ago, we were discussing what could well be one of Jake's best interviews to date - it took place in Venice in September 2005 and Jake was interviewed by an Italian journalist who had clearly fallen under the spell of Brokeback Mountain. He asked Jake just the kind of questions that Jake responds to best of all. This interview quickly vanished but now it's back and so I want to grasp the opportunity to repost the interview, and some of Jake's answers, because it will disappear again and it should be preserved. I urge you all to watch it while you can.



The polarities of Brokeback

Jake: Ang describes it the best when he says my character is representative of the New West and the that Heath's character is representative of the Old West. The idea that, Heath's... working hard and staying where you are is what life is and my character's more about progression and moving out of where you've become into something better, or what you consider better, is the New West. It's the place where they both meet and where they both meet is a real place of love.


Ennis is introverted and doesn't share much and I think that Jack, my character, is expressive and wants, I think in a weird, interesting way, beyond ahead of his time and wants this thing to work in the real world and the reality is that somewhere it can't - it can only really exist on Brokeback Mountain.


Jack moving on

Jake: I think there's an issue with like soulmates... I think a soulmate is really someone who not only are they your bestfriend but they're also someone who you... sleep with. But when you can't sleep with them ultimately there's a physical urge that overcomes you. You're a human being and you're alive. And I think that with my character, they drift apart. Their love is still deep but they drift apart and he has to look for at least some kind of physical resolution with someone else. He can't see Ennis that often.


Thanksgiving scene

Jake: I think there just comes a point in everyone's life, if they're hiding things or not living a life they want to live, where they crack. I think also there's a sense too with my character that he puts up with a lot from other people. He puts up with a lot of criticsm and he puts up with a lot of - not getting what he really needs and he compensates. And at that point he's just tired of not being called a man and he's tired of not - that definition of whatever a man is - what you're supposed to be. He has a family, he loves his son and he's not going to let somebody tell him that he's not the father of his son.


It's funny cos here I've been asked a lot of questions about how my character's more feminine or something than Heath's character and I find it a real... It's a little offensive simplification of what masculinity is and it's exactly the same thing that makes him so angry at his father-in-law in the Thanksgiving scene because it's just naive. What is masculine and feminine? The idea of a gay man, a straight man, whatever it is, it's just an unfair assumption. The idea here is the idea of love and that's really the hardest part and the most difficult of all!


The setting of the story

Jake: It's a real universal story. It had to find its place... it happens that there's an irony in the time that the two of them get together as it's considered the ime of free love and stuff like that. And yet they're not free to love at all. My parents always talk about that time - 'Oh, we were crazy then!' - and I'm like, Yeah, but a lot of people weren't allowed to do what they wanted to do and how they really felt. It's different for everybody and that time's a juxtaposition of what you assume that time period to be.


The Wild West of Brokeback

Listening to Jake discussing the polarity between the Old and New West represented by the two characters in Brokeback Mountain reminded me of this feature (from later in 2005) when Jake brought the contrast up again: 'Ang talks about how Heath's character is a representation of the Old West, and I am the New West, and in the amalgamation of the two, that's where love is. How they are both right and both wrong in their separate ways, and when they come together, it's all right.'


Jake also discusses the contrasting ways in which he and Heath approached their roles: 'Ultimately, me and Heath did come at it from separate corners. And in technique too, in style of acting, we're very different, and it helped the story, us not talking about much of anything before we did it. It was a new approach for me, and it was really hard... I sometimes made choices that were grander, and when I saw the final cut of the movie, I was surprised with the takes that Ang chose: A lot of them were early takes, before I made bigger or riskier choices. There is a subtlety that goes through the whole piece. It becomes torturous after a while as an actor, because it's not your typical interpretation of what a performance should be. In service of the story it works, but as a performer you feel repressed and held back, you know?'


Jake's loneliness and frustration were channelled into his portrayal of Jack: 'In particular, the inability to talk to Heath, or even talk to Ang about what was going on, does ultimately come through. I also think that more than Heath or Ang, I have an intention in my will and my life to want to move, and change, and want to force things out of people. I want to get to the truth of things, I don't want to just sit there sulking, and letting things be. I think that was Jack's intention as well, to want to get things out there, to always force the issues, push them forward.'


And finally: 'I don't worry about people not getting it... I think people are much smarter than that, and more open-minded. Even though it's a sad movie, it's ultimately hopeful. There's not a perversity to it. People mistake riskiness for perversity, for shock value. People expect to be shocked from this movie, and what they really get is a sense of love, of holding on to love, and a salient sense of regret that is not in movies right now. It's a really simple film and it moves in a way people aren't used to, but it gathers up on you, and you're nailed with it. [I hope it] takes people to a place most movies aren't brave enough to go.'


This post is dedicated to my good friend Linda, with whom I was discussing Brokeback Mountain late last night. Thank you for being there.

Includes pictures from IHJ.

Celebrating with Jake - easter, chocolate, birthdays, chocolate, DVD releases, Jake [Nailed Update]

Happy Easter to everyone, whatever the day means to you. And I hope that for everyone in the UK, the appalling snow, rain, hail, sleet, frost, gales and floods haven't distracted you from indulging as much as possible. In order to impose as little as possible on your holiday, while ensuring that you get in some Jaking time, this is a short post (or at least it started off that way...).


This week marks the birthdays of a bunch of Jake's ladies and so this post is to wish Happy Birthday to them - in particular, Jake's very own Ruby and Pia. I have it on good authority that Ruby is approaching a landmark this week and I don't mean Big Ben. Much love to them both and a huge personal hug for being such great friends over the last year and longer.


Pia and I both adore Cannes Jake and Pia's present is this video, which shows a truly stunning and radiant Jake Gyllenhaal receiving a huge amount of well-deserved attention at the Cannes photocall, before the premiere of Zodiac last May. It lasts nine glorious minutes. There is also a shorter version of the photocall, which includes an interview with Jake - you can enjoy that video here.


As for Ruby, I know she loves this guy. Hopefully this will do til we get to a bar after she's back from a whole week of celebrating.


The other birthdays include, of course, Reese Witherspoon's yesterday while today two more of Jake's co-stars are also celebrating: Catherine Keener from Lovely and Amazing and Hope Davis from Proof. In 2002, Jake was listed as being the 'Teenage actor most worth envying: Jake Gyllenhaal, who seduced Jennifer Aniston (The Good Girl), Catherine Keener (Lovely and Amazing), and Ellen Pompeo (Moonlight Mile) onscreen in the same year.' Catherine is, of course, the wife of Dermot Mulroney who starred in Zodiac - a small world indeed.


Hope Davis said an interesting thing about why she took on the role of Claire in Proof: 'I feel like I’m a tough audience member, you know, it takes a lot to make me laugh and when I sat down and read the script…that’s how I got involved I met the writer Steve Conrad in Chicago when I was working on Proof and he told me the story he gave me the script and I laughed so hard reading it.It was brutal. That scene on the porch where she tells him how she really feels…I just thought it was hilarious.'


Catherine and Hope both shared scenes with Jake in their movies unlike, of course, Reese in Rendition. Jake said in one interview that he was glad to be sharing a poster with Reese and Meryl Streep because otherwise they were almost not a part of the same project - the Washington story was very separate from that set in North Africa. However, while Jake and Reese did not share screen time, they did share red carpets.


Talking of Rendition, tomorrow sees the release of the UK/European edition of the Rendition DVD. This means that a sizeable potential audience, denied the opportunity to see the film in the theatres, will at least be able to see the film. There have been some excellent reviews in the UK press. The Sunday Mail: 'Gavin Hood, director of the compelling Tsotsi, takes on a big budget movie here for the first time and it's an absolute winner.' The Scotsman says: 'The pacing and linear approach to the unfolding events are held steady, and the key performances here are pretty near pitch perfect.'


IndieLondon, in a review republished for the DVD, says: 'Rendition brilliantly combines intelligence with excitement to set the standard by which others should be judged. It’s stimulating, provocative and comes highly recommended.'


UPDATE:

Since writing this feature yesterday, coincidence of coincidences - it seems Catherine Keener is in final negotiations to star with Jake again - this time in Nailed! 'James Marsden, Catherine Keener and Tracy Morgan are close to getting "Nailed." The trio are in final negotiations to star opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Biel in David O. Russell's romantic comedy "Nailed." Keener ("Into the Wild") will play a self-serving congresswoman.' Did I say it was a small world earlier? Well it just got smaller!

Easters

Last year, we saw Jake out in Santa Monica for a family lunch for Easter. Famously, Jake was clutching a chocolate bunny. I thought I'd have a look to see where Jake was for the Easter week in 2006 and it turns out he was in NYC having a holiday with family and friends and being all sporty. I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I did - and we thought Jake was hairy for the Rendition publicity - I'd forgotten what Jake was like when he got some time off from filming Zodiac.






Includes pictures from IHJ and Just Jared.

On the question of Jake's hair - 'It used to defy gravity, but now it's growing longer, and I can't get it to stick up'

Last night discussion turned, as it so often does, to one of our favourite subjects - Jake's hair. It's the holidays and I felt like some fun so I thought I'd take a closer look at this divisive issue. This was prompted by the rather surprising feature in last weekend's edition of the UK paper The Mail On Sunday, which suggested, tongue in cheek, complete with comparative photos, that David Beckham's new haircut was modelled on that of Jake Gyllenhaal's in Jarhead: 'The LA Galaxy star and noted hair chameleon has turned his already short locks into a severe military buzz cut that is seemingly inspired by Jake Gyllenhaal's crop in the 2005 war film Jarhead.'


This made me think two things: firstly, that looks like any other number of haircuts Beckham's had over the years and, secondly, I hadn't realise that Jake was becoming quite so mainstream in the UK media that he is included as comparison to one of the UK's most famous (for better or worse) stars and exports. Oh, there was a third thought: I hate the jarhead haircut.


Jake himself seems to have been taken aback by the Jarhead jarhead: 'I remember when I got my head shaved - and they shaved it right down - it was the most horrible haircut. It was pretty mundane. I filmed that. Then I filmed me honing the haircut because I wanted it to look perfect. I remember it just coming all off and there was a ceremony afterwards. I filmed that.' [With this video below, when you click on it, it may say Party Poker - ignore that and click on the play symbol at the bottom of the video screen and it goes to Jake.]

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Of course, the hairdo was paired up with a incredible body honed to physical perfection (compensation indeed for the top of Jake's head). And Jake appears to have found it liberating to have been inhabiting this whole new type of character and he felt empowered. 'I was at first, I think, I was a little terrified of myself without hair. And then I just felt bad ass. It just really empowers you. It was the beginning of a real sense of empowerment that Sam [Mendes] just fed and let grow, you know? He really gave us room and gave us all confidence in ourselves. That shaving of our hair was, in a way, a kind of similar process or parallel process to boot camp or the process of becoming a Marine.' Mind you, Jake grew his hair back fast enough - he can't have liked it that much. His parents didn't seem to care for it either: 'I shaved my head for Jarhead and both my parents were, like, f---! I came back from the boot camp and they were terrified.'


Jake has been burdened with some 'unusual' haircuts in his movie career (in Bubble Boy, for instance, Jimmy's hair was almost a character in its own right). Even though the jarhead had to be rebuzzed every two days, it must have been a bit of a relief not to have to go through hours of primping and preening: 'Being able to have a part where you don't have to do your hair or have wardrobe. [laughs] You didn't have to deal with any of that stuff. You're just basically you.'


When Jake was interviewed by Seventeen back in 2002, the first of the 17 questions went straight to the subject of Jake's hair to which Jake replied: 'It doesn't really stick up anymore. It used to defy gravity, but now it's growing longer, and I can't get it to stick up!' This is a fun interview (altough why anyone would admit to stealing their housekeeper's underwear and burning it is another matter). If you click on the picture you can also read about Jake's first kisses and how he was given a ring inscribed 'It's important to live, not only to exist.' Jake is also asked what his last dream was: 'Last night I dreamed that I was at a crazy party in Central Park. There was a mud bath and noone wanted to get in.'


It may be worth pointing out, that it's not just the hair on the top of Jake's head that interests us, and for that we have a lot to be grateful to Jarhead. 'Well the main difference is I started the movie with no hair on my body and then I seem to get hair all over my body.'



Sometimes, the hair disappears from more unusual places - well, unusual if you're not a cyclist - and then at other times it appears with too much abundance on other parts of the body.



And some of us are still divided on Rendition/Bafta Jake and the value or otherwise of gloup and product on Jake's hair. This has also interested other sites, including the Hairstyler. One thing's for sure, in some films, it's better than in others, but at least Jake has a myriad of other attributes to distract, not least of which, of course, is an obscene amount of talent.







Sometimes, even Jake has a bad hair day and then there is only one option.






Includes pictures from IHJ.