Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake Gyllenhaal
Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaalis an American actor. A member of the Gyllenhaal family and the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting as a child with a screen debut in City Slickers, followed by roles in A Dangerous Womanand Homegrown. His breakthrough performance was as Homer Hickam in October Skyand he garnered an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead for playing the title character in the indie cult hit Donnie Darko, in which...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth19 December 1980
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
It was at a point where I realized that like I had told Sam before we started 'I'll throw up in the sand for you. I'm gonna do anything I can for you,' but I never thought I would chip off my tooth for him. That's permanent,
But obviously, it means a hundred million things to other people. It's one big question. So, naturally, people have a lot of answers.
For me, it was hard in a different way than with Heath. Because I think Heath was kind of constantly being pushed back by Ang, pushed back into his skin, and he wanted to come out. I had heard all these stories from actors who had warned me that after the first day of work, Ang said, 'You'll get better.' So I was waiting for that. And the first day of work he walked out to me and said, 'Great job.' And I was like, 'Uh-oh, that's not good.
I think something more formulaic was expected. But this movie is not just about the experience of a soldier, but also of a human being. We live in a world that is not always full of action.
There have been times when I've been working with women and they just said, 'Hey, I've faked it before. I can fake it again.'
Usually, the action's moving so fast, you don't get the opportunity to see the psychology, really,
I am inherently a little brother - that's just my nature. It has to do with my sister being very strong and wanting to protect me. It's the natural order of things.
I grew up in a family where many of our close friends were gay couples. As well as that, every man goes through a period of thinking they're attracted to another guy.
I've learned over the years that freedom is just the other side of discipline.
I think family is the most important thing in the world. I think your own family is the most complicated thing in the world, and I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world.
When you have a lot of opportunities, which I am blessed to have had in terms of my work, you get into the habit of not paying attention to certain specifics. And as we get busy, anything we do is the same thing.
I think as an actor you have to be open to your emotions - that's how you tap into other characters. Besides, by being so open I've come to terms with how screwed I am!
I liken movies to playing a piano: Sometimes you're playing the chords and different notes with unresolved cadences and playing all major chords that are all over the place, and you're enjoying yourself with a great, simple melody.
It bothers me when people say, 'Oh, you're so down to earth - for an actor.' Even when they don't say 'for an actor,' I feel like that's the implication. Why are the standards so low for performers?