"It's difficult to get used to this big chest..."
- Jake "So Much of What I Say in Life Works Better When Taken Out of Context" Gyllenhaal
“I would love to be a father, but I must find the right woman first.”
AHH JAKE. Getting up so many hopes with your teasing promises of fathering unknown future babies and talking about your buff chestal region with the alacrity of a pubescent girl graduating from a training bra...
Reader extraordinaire D, who bought a copy of Glamour (Argentina) for reasons unrelated to Jake (unfathomable as that may sound), opened up her issue and found an interview inside! Because she is awesome, she scanned the article and provided us with a translation. So, without further ado, I present your mid-week reading assignment. ENJOY. There will be a test:
The Indie Prince
By Jorge Patrón
His sanction came in with
Brokeback Mountain and now, at 29 years old, he is releasing the mega production
Prince of Persia. However,
Jake Gyllenhaal is unconditional to independent films, where it all began. That’s how he tells us, exclusively, from L.A.
Single with no commitments since he broke up with Reese Witherspoon [ed: I have no idea who this woman is], the actor of
Brokeback Mountain receives us in Los Angeles to talk about his new movie,
Prince of Persia, and confesses he is a hopeless romantic.
How much did you have to train for this role?
The character is incredibly acrobatic. In the videogame on which the film is based he can run on walls and I wanted for people to see the running on walls, although it may sound strange. I worked out with a peronal trainer from Cirque du Soleil to be able to do all kinds of stunts. It was intense and so much fun.
With leather skirts and sandals there is always the risk of looking ridiculous and the public not believing the interpretation at 100%...
Yes, it's true. We live in a time where people pay too much attention to the visual aspect of the movie. But there is so much talent involved in this film... We took care from the color of the skin to the British accent, going through makeup and the proper wardrobe. It’s been a complete commitment to the character and his world.
Actors like Viggo Mortensen go to the mountain and live alone wearing the character’s sandals for weeks. How did you prepare?
That kind of preparation is not really my style. This is a character that was born from a videogame but I wanted to be sure to make him as real as possible, following the script and the director’s vision of the movie.
Are you proud of the body you achieved?
(Laughs) Yes, much, but I'd rather not pay attention to that. It's difficult to get used to this big chest...
This movie is very different than all your previous works. Why did you decided to take this direction?
I have read many scripts like this one which ended up being “B movies.” I like to watch those kind of films. Since I was little I have always wanted to play a character like Indiana Jones or do what Errol Flynn did. Those are fun roles but until now I hadn’t got any that were worth doing.
Prince of Persia was my big chance to make my mark on adventure films. I love to work out, taking chances with what I do. Probably my career lacks consistency, but now I like being inconsistent.
Do you take care of yourself?
Yes. I like to take care of myself, I try to exercise every day if I can. I go to the gym, I like to run, doing sports... I believe it’s important because, as an actor, I depend on my body. My personal trainer tells me I have to be in my body, feel sensual, know it. Plus, the exercise makes me feel good. About the diet, I also try to take care of myself as much as possible.
Your sister tells us you are a great cook...
To me food is health. It can be a great medicine and the result of how we eat is reflected in our culture. My best friend is a farmer and I grew up eating everything he and his family harvested. Cooking is part of my daily life. Everybody in my family knows how to cook. It’s a way to really meditate into our daily routine, an expression that, in my opinion, is sensational. I don’t have a favorite dish, I like to inspire myself with what’s in the fridge.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I just finished filming a romantic comedy with Anne Hathaway directed by Ed Zwick. It was made with a small budget, the kind of movie that I am devoted to. With this movie I followed my heart. No doubt, inside me there is the kid who wants to run, live adventures, but there’s also the artist who wants to show different histories.
Caption: Currently what I like is that my career as an actor is inconsistent.
Speaking of the heart... You are currently single, but you must be a romantic because you seem to like playing love stories...
Everything I do is a reflection of what I am going through in my life. Every story I pick in my life, related or not, is, in a way, the mirror of what I am living at the moment. Many actors talk about how they hide behind the character they are playing, but I don’t do that. I want to reflect my life. I like the cinema, the action movies, and I think it’s important not to take yourself too seriously all the time. There is a part of me that likes eating popcorn while watching a bad movie...but I am even a little afraid to say it out loud.
Lately you are appearing half-naked in all your movies. Are you trying to dethrone Matthew McConaughey?
That’s funny, but if you think I show too much skin in
Prince of Persia, you should wait to watch the film with Anne Hathaway. I’m naked the whole movie! (Laughs out loud.)
****
HAHAHA, yes, I'm sure that everyone's very first reaction to thinking about Jake naked is going to be
laughter. (Or not.) So what have we learned? That Jake likes bad movies, that he (literally) gets off on exercise, and that all of his movies are a reflection of his life, WHICH MEANS that the bio I wrote for the
Jake in '08 presidential campaign has finally been validated.
This interview is fantastic.
Enormous thank you to D for scanning this in for us and translating it for all of us!!
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