Hollywood's most watched and admired
Let's take a closer look at Jake Gyllenhaal, the consummate actor!
by Jan

' The job of an artist, or anybody really, is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed."

Profound words quoted to Jake by his father and advice which Jake seems to have taken to heart and which have been a guiding force with regard to the roles he has chosen in his career.

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Articulate, well-read, and intelligent are all attributes which describe this up-and-coming young actor with boyish good looks. He reveals an instinctive ability way beyond his years, and has showcased a broad range of characters and emotions in his many onscreen performances. Jake has a promising career ahead of him as one of the leading men of his generation - not only is he a gifted actor, but he can sing too!

Introduction & Early Career: Jake Gyllenhaal is of Swedish noble descent. He was raised in California near Hollywood, the movie capital of the world. He comes from a show business family: his father is film director and published poet Stephen Gyllenhaal, his mother producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal is also a well-known and accomplished actress.

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Jake began acting at the age of 11. Since then, he has shown diversity and versatility in the roles he has chosen, and he's also not afraid of taking risks for roles that he feels are important to him and to other people. He has also shown a passion in his career for independent films. He avoided the easy route chosen by some young actors, who only took roles in formulaic blockbuster teen movies, and instead set out on a career path that included movies that have a message. Jake has been quoted as saying, when taking or choosing a role, "I pick a project because of what it's trying to say, I want to be a part of it, for the message. I think that no matter what, I always look for humanity, like I always look for a sense of hope, without hope, I don't think anything really, works; in particular, movies and stories.”

His breakout role was as the lead in October Sky. He gave a sincere and heartwarming performance as real life rocket builder Homer Hickam, and was immediately noticed for his acting abilities. A promising movie career was in the making, and an eclectic mix of roles were to follow.


Critical Acclaim: Jake achieved critical success in Donnie Darko, portraying a disturbed and troubled teenager and co-starring alongside his sister Maggie. The movie became a cult favorite. A reviewer from Salon.com claimed that "Gyllenhaal manages the difficult trick of seeming both blandly normal and profoundly disturbed, often within the same scene."

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Jake has worked alongside many well-respected actors and actresses throughout his career. He starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the indie film The Good Girl, in which he portrayed a troubled teenager who has an illicit affair with an older, married woman. He also worked with respected actors Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon in the endearing movie Moonlight Mile, where he portrayed a young man grappling with the death of his fiancée and his relationship with her grieving parents. This movie was loosely inspired by the director's personal life experience - he once dated actress Rebecca Shaeffer who was killed by an obsessed fan in 1989. In an interview, Jake said how much he admired and enjoyed working with Dustin Hoffman, who gave him much advice and encouragement regarding pursuing theatre.
He also worked with legendary actor Anthony Hopkins and critically-acclaimed actress Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie Proof, where he portrays a mathematics student enamored with the daughter of his brilliant, deceased professor. Together they embark on a quest to find a mathematical proof presumably written by the professor before his death.

Defining Roles: His next two roles would prove both challenging and daring, and would show more maturity than had yet been seen in his work. Jake was eager to work with director Sam Mendes and auditioned for the lead role in Jarhead. This film tells the true story of Anthony Swofford, an aggressively masculine (and muscular) marine trying to cope with the psychological frustrations and boredom of war, and not getting the chance to fire his weapon or go into battle.

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Mendes took notice of Jake's acting abilities and stage presence, when he saw Jake in his London theatrical debut. It was then that he became convinced that Jake would be perfect for the lead role. In an interview about Jake, Sam Mendes said: " I don't think I had realized until I saw him on stage how masculine he was. He's a big guy, and he has the combination of soulfulness and "man of action" I was looking for. Also, he's very accessible. His face is accessible. His soul is accessible."
The highest accolade of Jake’s movie career to date was when he received an Oscar nomination for his defining and much talked-about role in the 2005 Academy Award-winning movie Brokeback Mountain. His character falls in love with another man, and the film tells the story of what both men endure throughout their lives as they struggle to keep their love a secret. During one of Jake's acceptance speeches after winning an award for Brokeback Mountain, he said, "This means even more to me socially than artistically." He also said that his roles in Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain, and working with directors Sam Mendes and Ang Lee, were life-changing experiences for him.

Jake In Theatre: Jake also received rave reviews for his performance on the London stage, when he made his theatrical debut in Kenneth Lonergan's revival of This Is Our Youth. He has been quoted as saying "every actor I look up to has done theatre work, so I knew I had to give it a try." One London reviewer, in writing about Jake's performance, said:" Jake Gyllenhaal, this is his stage debut, all the more hard to believe as he gives such an accomplished and secure performance."

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Important Causes To Jake: " I admire actors and artists who devote just as much time to their life as they do to their work."

A quote from Jake, and words he also seems to live by. He's a strong supporter of many political, social, and environmental issues and is active in causes that are important to him and his family. These include Rock The Vote, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Future Forests organization, to which Jake donates money each year to help plant trees.

What's Next, Jake? Zodiac, in which he portrays Robert Graysmith a cartoonist who becomes obsessed with the case of the serial killer known as the Zodiac who terrorized the people of San Francisco in the 1960s and late 1970s. The case remains unsolved to this day. Zodiac was ranked the second most anticipated movie of 2007, on IONCINEMA.com.

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JAKE GYLLENHAAL: In the Spotlight!: At 6 feet tall, Jake Gyllenhaal is that rare breed of movie star, an actor who’s actually bigger in life than he appears onscreen. On reason might be that when Gyllenhaal fills the frame, so much of one’s attention is focused on his eyes; another might be that until recently Gyllenhaal’s roles called for him to portray boyish figures on the cusp of manhood. [ read more ]

TOBEY VERSUS JAKE: Brothers as rivals!: Much has been said regarding the 'rivalry' between Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal. When Tobey was reported to be leaving Spiderman, it was Jake's name that was most often mentioned as Maguire's possible replacement. [ read more ]

JAKE GYLENHAAL to Start Shooting ‘Nailed’ In April: there's another movie coming up for Jake. This time he'll be acting with Jessica Biel, who was simply fabulous in the Edward Norton flick, The Illusionist. [ read more ]

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Spotlight on Jake Gyllenhaal written by Jan. All rights reserved.

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