While Jake Gyllenhaal is currently making the rounds to promote the release of his latest role as Mysterio in Sony/Marvel’s Spider-man: Far From Home, the actor is also taking the time to talk about past projects.
In a new video with GQ, Gyllenhaal breaks down some of his most iconic movie roles like Homer Hickam in October Sky, Donnie Darko… in Donnie Darko, Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain, and more.
In talking about the latter, Gyllenhaal chose to discuss the artistic vision of director Ang Lee and how that drove the film in his eyes and the other actors’.
“I think we had been cast for our ‘essences’ without really understanding what our ‘essences’ were – and that’s outside of our sexuality – we’re two straight guys cast in these roles, but who we are, who we were, Ang could see. And I don’t know if I could. So when the movie had the response that it had … I don’t think we recognized what Ang had seen in us so we were blind at the profundity and the echo the movie made. We understood the power of the story. But I think, playing a character in it, we didn’t fully, and I don’t think we ever had any idea it would have the impact that it had.”
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Gyllenhaal adds that Ang loved to hone in on the rehearsal process and the need for actors to spend time with each other in order to honor the emotional moments in their acting. He then adds how honored he was to be a part of the film that worked so well.
“To make a movie that even just works is a miracle,” said Gyllenhaal. “When it resonates even beyond that, it’s impossible. And it has nothing to do with you in the end. Just being in Brokeback Mountain, that’s the feeling I have. I feel that deeply about it. It had nothing to do with me. It came to me, I was honored to be a part of it, and it is now everyone else’s in a way that I can’t even fathom.”
If you want to hear more from Gyllenhaal about his time making the film, you can watch the full video down below.
