Jake Gyllenhaal on Extra and more images and videos - End of Watch, If There Is and more

Tomorrow End of Watch premieres officially at TIFF - a big day - and so, with our best wishes to everyone involved with the film, here's a catch up of some of today's new Jake news. There is a lot going on each day now with so many projects on the boil! Firstly, Collider has revealed a new photo of Jake Gyllenhaal from End of Watch, possibly the most dramatic picture we've had so far. Click and it shall be embiggened.

There is also a brand new TV spot. If the link below doesn't work then you can also see the video here.


End of Watch - 'Truth' Exclusive TV Spot

TrailerParkToo | Myspace Video

More photos have also been released from If There Is... (here via and with thanks to IHJ)

Jake has also put in an appearance on Extra with Ben Lyons:



With thanks to BBMISwear for the heads up, it looks as if Jake will be appearing on Kelly and Michael (Regis and Kelly that was) on the morning of 20 September - and possibly on the Today Show on 14 September. I'm also grateful to BBMISwear for the link to this old video of Jake from during the days of another play, This Is Our Youth. In it Jake is awarding an award with Anna Paquin at the Evening Standard Film Awards in London - over ten years ago, in March 2010.

End of Watch to screen at the London International Film Festival and on stage with Jake Gyllenhaal in If There Is...

Busy days! So without any further ado or beating around the bush, sit down, put your feet up and let's get on with it.

First off, End of Watch will get its European premiere in London at the BFI's London International Film Festival in October. Not only that, it will be in competition so I hope it's revising as we speak. It's unlikely that Jake Gyllenhaal will be there due to the fact that he might be preoccupied on a NYC stage but this is great news for End of Watch, falling as it does on the heels of its appearance at Toronto this month. It's wonderful to see a film of Jake's doing the film festival circuit again - but what a shame that it's happening when he's too busy to shine on all those red carpets.

I'm delighted to see that the film's Dating clip is now available for all of us to see, whatever side of the pond we're on, so here it is.



If There Is...

I'm so pleased that we now have official photos from the If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet production in NYC! It's good to get an idea of the set and also get a proper look at Jake as Terry.

To go with the photos, the NY Daily News has an interview with the cast, in which Jake talks about what drew him to the play: 'I read it a few years ago and fell in love with Nick’s dialogue. I think any story about a family is fascinating, too, because it’s filled with complications both universal and specific. There’s never-ending inspiration in that. If you’re going to do a show eight times a week, you need to have stuff to draw on every night.'

Jake is also asked about whether real life has influenced his interpretation and performance: 'Of course. I think real life is bound to affect any sort of artistic process. I have two beautiful nieces and they’re both an inspiration to me. One of the things that I love about this play is that it’s about a relationship that I understand... I don’t have a similar experience to the one that we have in this play, but being an uncle is something I draw up on every day and night. The family is a microcosm for political themes that are involved in this play — the environment and the issues going on of how we treat the world.'

And we hear more about the Famous Water Scene: 'When Michael pitched to us what he was going to do with water in this show, Br ian’s face changed — his eyes got wider than I’d ever seen before. He may have wanted to walk out at that moment. [O’Byrne nods, and laughs.] The water is a beautiful metaphor. I really think that Nick and Mike are a new wave of British talent and this production a perfect example of how to work together. This production is very different from the one in London a couple years ago.' Do read the full interview here.

Some famous people have also been taking a peek at the play.

Many thanks to BBMISwear for the hugely appreciated help with links!

A review of The Imposter at MovieBrit.

My review of Total Recall is now on MovieBrit.

New End of Watch TV spot and stills and Jake Gyllenhaal in an If There Is break...

We have another End of Watch TV Spot! A critic friend of mine saw the film last night in UK and sent me a message to say that Jake Gyllenhaal as 'SUPERB!' While the wait in the UK is a long one - late November - we can still enjoy this long run-up to the release which will, no doubt, include goodies from all sides of the channel.



To go with the TV spot there are some more stills from End of Watch.

Meanwhile, the run of If There Is continues Off Broadway. Jake has been seen backstage enjoying a ciggie break (I'm resisting the urge to comment), also giving us more views of the play's tattoos. Thanks to IHJ for the pics.

And finally...

Lance Armstrong has been in the news over recent days and one thing it does mean is the end of a project we've been discussing here off and on for years. Here's an article from EW thanks to BBMISwear.

My review of Total Recall is now on MovieBrit.

End of Watch - Dating and working together

The premiere of End of Watch is looming. On 8 September it opens in a Special Presentation at TIFF. We can therefore expect more clips and chats as this and the US release approach. Jake Gyllenhaal is slightly tied up with a certain play and so Michael Pena, his co-star, is on duty. Today we have a new clip and an interview with Michael that includes a discussion of his working relationship with his partner. Unfortunately, the clip doesn't work in the UK but you may have more luck:

 

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

'MTV: How did you and Jake build a strong relationship on set?
Michael Peña: David Ayer was really adamant about us spending time together and talking about the characters and what we want to do and plan it out. He has an older sister, and I have an older brother. We just remembered how they'd fight and bicker. I was like, "I remember that totally," and he says, "But you still love the person." In a way, we just kept talking about it and designing how we were with our siblings. We were getting to know each other, but at the same time designing the friendship and the brotherhood. At the end of the day, you have to believe these guys are real partners, and they spend a lot of time together and they have each other's backs. Instead of saying that, showing that is what's really exciting about the script. When you have the action sequences, it really pays off. You're like, "I really don't want these guys to get hurt. I don't want one of them to get hurt."'



'MTV: Did that relationship make shooting action scenes more intense?
Michael Peña: It [was], in a way, because we put in a lot of work. Every time I was rehearsing a scene that was a shootout or whatever, I wanted to make sure that my partner went home safe and alive. Secondly, I wanted to make sure that my wife and my newborn baby weren't left fatherless. Every time we rehearsed a scene, we would talk about, "Dude, we have to do this for the family." It felt kind of like a sport, where you have these mantras that you keep talking and talking it through so you remember the motivation, why we're playing this thing.'

And finally...

Wouldn't mind a pair of these!

Jake Gyllenhaal Backstage and On stage

What a week! Jake Gyllenhaal has been making the NYC stage his own during this week of previews for If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet. I do recommend you look back over the comments for the last couple of posts. A number of WDW readers have been lucky enough to see the play and they have been filling in some of the details for those of us an ocean or more away.

Jake also appeared on the Late Night with Letterman Show - the video can be seen in the last post - and so we have some photos from that as well as a stunning portrait of Jake to go with the play.

Jake graces quite spectacularly the cover of the Fall issue of Backstage. In the magazine he talks about the importance of doing something for five months which would have his full attention. He also reaffirms his long broken promise to himself to do a play for every three movies. Hopefully, this time, this will happen and in more cities too.



“To feel like you’re a part of a family that is truly relying on each other to stay afloat—that idea is what drew me in,” he says. “I had no real explanation for not doing a play for essentially a decade, but I intend not to make that mistake again. Hopefully, ideally, it will be three plays for every movie.” 

Jake also explains to Backstage about how and why he moved from LA to NYC: '“Somebody was trying to get an angle on why I moved to New York, and I was like, ‘Because my family is here and I love them. And I want to be with them and they mean everything to me.’ This is the best possible place for me to be, to be near my family, doing a show about the mess of a family, and then maybe having my family come watch it.”'

Many thanks to WDW reader Adele for her thorough and brilliant account of seeing If There Is this week. If you're going to see the play yourself then you might want to wait until afterwards before reading it, but for the rest of us it's packed full of the details we want to read - about the set, this water that we keep hearing about and the humour. Here's a quote from the review but I urge you to read it in full. I love the references to Wetherspoons - I heartily approve of their megacheap veggie breakfasts (served with beer if you want it) and I'm delighted to hear its fame is spreading!

'Jake Gyllenhaal plays Terry, who returns from his vague and mysterious travels, presumably attempting to outrun his somewhat troubled past, and lopes into the family home in Adidas shell-suit, slicked back hair and baggy jeans, all rangy physicality and blackly comic one-liners. (His very convincing English accent, if triangulated, places Terry somewhere between Shoreditch High Street, Super Hans, and Ricky Gervais. It’s flawless and hilarious.) His body language swings between self-protective and endearingly casual as he breaks apart the tightly-strung lives of a pre-occupied family and forces them to re-evaluate what is important. Jake masters the comic timing and Terry’s endearing likeability and undermines it with flashes of anger, drunkenness and helplessness as George accuses him of being just a “scared little boy”.'

'Terry’s presence is a final catalyst for troubled, bullied, overweight niece Anna, and their slightly uneasy, sometimes awkward, yet affectionate relationship provides the heart of the play. Anna’s dramatic breakdown after a disastrous date (at the local Wetherspoon’s, no less – a reference to a ubiquitous chain of British pubs which I wondered if anyone who hadn’t been subjected to them in the UK would truly appreciate) ends up throwing all the tensions between George, Terry and Fiona into sharp relief, and leaves Anna drowning in plain sight. Fiona, distracted by struggles with her elderly mother and George’s manic preoccupation, loses sight of how to help her daughter. “She means the world to me,” Fiona laments, and this is where we see Terry’s point that “saving the world” might not be so far removed from saving the family.'

Thanks so much Adele!



Finally, do watch through to the end of this video with Anna Kendrick talking about filming End of Watch with Jake. Thanks to BBMISwear for the links! Thanks to IHJ for the pictures!

Update! Jake on Late Night with Letterman! WDW special report on If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet - Part 2 (with pics!)

For all US readers, Jake Gyllenhaal is scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman tonight. Here's hoping a) we get to see something of it over here and b) Letterman asks better questions and c) he doesn't mention the Jellyfish Incident or d) anything to do with growing up in the Palisades.

Very few of us are able to go to NYC to see Jake Gyllenhaal in person as Terry in If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, thank heavens then that at WW we have our very own Special Agent on the ground doing all the hard work - BBMISwear! Admittedly, there are some perks to the job, not least saying hello to Jake outside the Roundabout Theatre. And grabbing a picture or two. We are all grateful to you, Lisa!

Lisa has also given us some more information about the play, which I'm mixing it with her wonderful, none earthquakey photos of Jake and of the theatre. Lisa was back to the theatre on Saturday and saw some changes from Friday.

Lisa spoke to Annie Funke (who plays the teen) and told her 'how fabulous she was and she seemed genuinely appreciative of many of us telling her this! My friend spoke with Brian O'Byrne and he said we should expect a lot of changes during the course of the previews. I'm so glad I saw it now and can compare! There were a few slight differences on Saturday from Friday.'

'We saw Jake again when he exited the theater - I got a nice "Oh Hi!" from him which made the guy next to me say "he obviously recognizes you now" which made me laugh! I had told the guy a few of my Jake stories earlier! :-) Jake said no photos [with him] and we had to respect that. We saw him again when he returned which was a fluke as we were planning to head right to Brooklyn from there but my friend saw someone she new outside the theater and we stayed a bit to talk and back Jake came - he walked in quickly almost with blinders on which got us talking to the security guy out front. He told us Jake has been a really nice guy (I agreed and shared how he has been the other times I've met him). He said it looked like he has been trying to stay focused and that is probably why he is not wanting to stop and talk to people while going in and out (I agreed with this also and told him I understood and made sure I said it loudly as some people around me did not feel that way).'

'I forgot to mention from Friday that Jake's character has tattoos - one big one going up the right side of his neck that you can see coming out above the collar of his tee, one large one on the inside of his right forearm and one small one on the front of his left hand. I thought after seeing him outside that I can't recall if they were still there or not - some of us were discussing if they would be removed or stay on between the afternoon and evening shows. I guess when seeing him one locks on to his face and things like fake tattoos go unnoticed - ha ha! I will say when he walked away we very much enjoyed the real Jake Look of tight dark blue jeans and well fitted white tee vs. the Terry Look of very loose faded jeans and loose tee. Jake is looking real good right now!!'

Thank you Lisa! 

The photos are all by Lisa. If reused please acknowledge and link to WDW. Thank you.

The curtain opens! Opening night report for WDW from If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet and Jake Gyllenhaal's NYC stage debut

Last night, Jake Gyllenhaal made his debut on the NYC stage in the 145-minute play If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, which began its previews at the Roundabout Theatre. I'm delighted to report that we had our own eyes and ears in the audience (at the front, of course), in the lovely shape of BBMISwear, who has managed in all the excitement to send us some notes on the play as well as the production flyers from the theatre. With many thanks to her, here is what she said in a mixture of her words and mine, but I think I should begin with a warning. Should you be lucky enough to sit in the front row of If There Is, you might want to be prepared - it is a Splash Zone!

Needless to say, if you wish to remain spoiler free, you may wish to skip the following section of the post...

*Update* There are further reports in the comments!

The Play

It's fair to say that BBMISwear/Lisa loved the play, which is an intense ride - there is no intermission. But what was a big surprise is how funny the play is! 'It is very,very funny - I don't think the audience expected to laugh that much but most all did and did so a lot!' but 'It is also very intense and sad and one particular scene is heart wrenching - I was not the only person who shed tears.'

There is a lot of swearing. A LOT. Jake swears 'every 3rd word...seriously, every 3rd word!!' His character of Terry also doesn't hold back. Jake says and does and discusses 'all sorts of things you might not expect'. He wears the 'drifter look' throughout and apparently his British accent is very good (although personally I'm interested to hear how that holds up over the run and also what kind of accent it is).

After the Play

At the end of the play 'the cast and crew filed out of the theater in dribs and drabs over the course of two hours but Jake took the longest to leave. A fair amount of fans waited to see him - some gave up after waiting an hour or more - some stayed the full 2 hours and 10 minutes (yes, I was one of them)! He was good about pictures and autographs but not real talkative and looked pretty wiped out! (And for good reason)!

I mostly hung back as people really swarmed him and I've done the picture thing with him a couple of times already!' 'He had 2 guys escorting him away and I did catch up with them for a minute as they were walking away and said "Hey Jake - I just wanted to say hi" and he looked up and said "Hey, nice to see you" which was nice of him. I then told him he did a great job tonight and he thanked me and off they went! There was one pap taking pictures as he walked away and lots of fans taking pictures with him when he came out of the theater so I'm sure there will be plenty to see online in the coming days!'

Not surprisingly, Lisa focused on Jake's performance during this visit but she will be back so we can expect more!

Playbill

 While we wait for the paper reviews to come in, there's time to take a look at Jake's appearance in the September issue of Playbill. As well as talking about how his appearance on Man Vs Wild came about, Jake also talks about why he did If There Is and how difficult it is for him to do the British accent.

'"I fell in love with the character at the start," he says. "He brings a sadness to the play, and I'm drawn to that darkness. He's a real avoider, like everyone in the play. Perhaps that disconnection is what connected me to him. I love his techniques of avoiding, how he speaks in short sentences and unfinished thoughts. The way each character talks looks differently on the page. I love the architecture of the words."'

'"I've played British characters before," says Gyllenhaal. "I've spent, accumulatively, about two years in London, and a majority of my very close friends are British. It comes somewhat naturally. I gravitate toward roles with accents. The voice is a wonderful way into the eternal life of the character."'

Thank you BBMISwear!