Jake Gyllenhaal, eye-roll: More and more, Ive tried to ask myself about myself
Is anyone still interested in Jake Gyllenhaal? I’m sure some people are. But isn’t it weird how it seems like he largely dropped out of sight for several years? You know what it was? He dropped off just after the shenanigans with Taylor Swift. That was the beginning of the end. What is painful for me is that Jake actually is/was a decent actor. He could have been a contender. He could have continued to quietly move away from the “disturbed young adult” roles that made him famous and moved into “real adult acting in quality dramas”. But Jake stumbled big time. He tried to be an action star and that failed. He tried to be a romantic hero (on and off the screen) and that failed too as he still has Swifty stank on his image.
Anyway, Jake is still an actor. He’s promoting Prisoners, that ensemble film with Hugh Jackman, Viola Davis and Paul Dano. I think the movie looks stupid, but what do I know? So Jake covers the 10th anniversary issue of VMAN Mag, and the interview is incredibly boring:
On discoveries as an actor: “More and more, I’ve tried to ask myself about myself … that’s one of the reasons I love other actors, I discover what I want to talk about when I begin to exchange with someone else. You constantly stay alive, stay awake, listen to yourself.”
On how he disappeared for a few years: “I made a number of changes in my life … I moved from Los Angeles to New York City, really to be closer to my family, and also – I had made a lot of promises to myself about getting back to theater, which is what I love, and I really wanted to follow that … so I just made this sort of big move out East, which is the opposite move people usually make, and I basically took some time.”
He’s a Method Actor: “Maybe some people can be fooled but I’m not interested in that. I think it’s possible to be intimate in your work. It means asking questions of yourself, it demands trust. And that is scary, because you never know if you are completely safe, and it’s not always pretty but I’m pretty damn sure its the only way to go. I’m looking for the roles that will amount to my expressing as much as possible. What I’m looking for is all sides of myself.”
Prisoners co-star Hugh Jackman on Jake: “What always impressed me about Jake was his steadfast commitment to connection, His work ethic is like mine: he loves to explore, dig and extract every ounce of depth in a scene. He has the courage to follow his instincts and helps create an atmosphere where anything is possible. He is open, always striving for truth and complexity. What he has pulled off in Prisoners is extraordinary.”
Maybe the problem is Hollywood. Maybe the problem is that Hollywood doesn’t really know what to do with an actor like Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s proven that he can’t really be an action star. But I think it’s possible he could find his footing as a romantic lead. He’s incredibly earnest, he can play tragic and vulnerable very well… but Hollywood rarely makes those kinds of movies anymore. And so Jake is in a rut. Maybe it’s good that he’s going back to the theater.
Here’s a trailer for Prisoners:
Photos courtesy of VMAN and WENN.
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