|
One of the most interesting leading men to come along in a very long time, Jarhead actor Jake Gyllenhaal has the look, the skills and the personality to one day stand among the greats. Serious-minded and dedicated to his work, Gyllenhaal has so far managed to behave well enough in life to avoid the tabloid scandals that afflict the majority of his peers. Besides his on-again, off-again romance with Kirsten Dunst, you rarely read about him at all, except in movie reviews of course, most of which describe him in the most glowing terms possible. The critics love him. The public love him. He's a hit with the cult movie crowd thanks to the inscrutably cool Donnie Darko. For the kids, he did The Day After Tomorrow. For the grown ups, Brokeback Mountain. The world has become his Cheers. Now everybody knows his name.
The son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and Jewish screenwriter Naomi Gyllenhaal, young Jake was raised as a Jew, even though his father grew up within the relatively obscure Swedenborgian faith, which is a lot like Christianity, only with a few different bells and whistles. Determined to instill a sense of gratitude for his privileged upbringing, Jake's parents threw his bar mitzvah bash at a homeless shelter. Discouraged from taking anything for granted, Gyllenhaal has grown up as level-headed and down-to-earth as is possible for an A-list star.
"Being a star doesn't last," observes Jake. "That's not what life should be about. It's a complete illusion that really has nothing to do with you. For me, finding out about life is the most important thing."
Hailing from a family of Swedish nobles, Gyllenhaal's ancestors include various high-flying politicians, military men, singers, socialites, scientists and newspaper men. Plus his sister is the wonderful Maggie Gyllenhaal, so quirky, cute and talented, the star of the joyfully perverse yet strangely sweet Secretary. Hard work and over-achievement is clearly in the Gyllenhaal gene pool.
Making his big screen debut at the tender age of eleven in City Slickers, Gyllenhaal grew up torn between acting and academia, finally dropping out of Columbia University after two years to pursue his movie dreams. An inspiring biopic of rocket scientist Homer Hickam, Joe Johnston's October Sky gave Jake his first big break in 1999, and following his star-making performance in 2001's Donnie Darko, Gyllenhaal's rise to fame has been nothing short of meteoric.
In 2002, Jake first hooked up with actress Kirsten Dunst, who'd just made chick flick Mona Lisa Smile with his sister. At first it was all sweetness and light, with the Spider-Man actress declaring, "He's a dork. But that's what I love. And he's a great cook." A couple of years down the line, although Jake felt he'd found his soulmate, Kirsten wasn't quite so sure, telling the press, "He's a stay-at-home boy. I'm an out-on-the-town girl. I'm sad, but I want to make the most of every moment. It couldn't last."
|
Throwing himself into his work, Jake knocked off a quick event movie, The Day After Tomorrow, before opting for the considerably more thoughtful, though no less physically challenging, Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee's gay cowboy drama. "Heath [Ledger] almost broke my nose in a kissing scene," explained Gyllenhaal. "He grabs me and he slams me up against the wall and kisses me. And then I grab him and I slam him up against the wall and I kiss him. And we were doing take after take after take. I got the s**t beat out of me. We had other scenes where we fought each other and I wasn't hurting as badly as I did after that one."
Scenes between the two were so convincing they even led to rumours that Jake played for both sides. Not that the notion bothered him. "You know it's flattering when there's a rumor that says I'm bisexual. It means I can play more kinds of roles. I'm open to whatever people want to call me. I've never really been attracted to men sexually, but I don't think I would be afraid of it if it happened." So there you go, boys and girls. Everyone's in with a chance!
As for now, following his incredible turn as a frustrated US marine in Sam Mendes' remarkable Jarhead, Gyllenhaal is currently shooting serial killer biopic Zodiac with Fight Club director David Fincher, another smart move, I expect, in a career distinguished by smart choices and even smarter performances.
See you next week,
Marshall
|