7 questions Jake GyllenhaalBorn Dec. 19, 1980, in Los Angeles. Son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal (Waterland) and screenwriter Naomi Foner (Running on Empty). Younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. First film in 1991, City Slickers, as Billy Crystal's son. Became a cult hero for Donnie Darko (2001), played inappropriate lust object of older women in Lovely & Amazing (2001) and The Good Girl (2002) and acquired similarly besotted male fans with 2005 releases Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain.
BOB STRAUSS Special to The Globe and Mail
LOS ANGELES -- While Brokeback Mountain was becoming a phenomenon a little over a year ago, Jake Gyllenhaal's mind was on something else: thrill killing. He was making Zodiac, David (Se7en) Fincher's detailed examination of the still-unsolved Zodiac Killer case of the 1960s and 70s.
Infamous for taunting the media and various San Francisco Bay area police departments, the killer particularly captured the imaginations of detective Dave Toschi (played by Mark Ruffalo in the movie), reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and, of all people, mild-mannered editorial cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal), who went on to compile more evidence than anybody, which he published in several best-selling books.
The cherubic but dogged Graysmith is another unique entry in young Gyllenhaal's impressive gallery of characterizations. So far, he's exhibited great taste in material and the chops to handle increasingly demanding roles.
Zodiac has been in development for many years. What kept you interested in the project?I read a few different drafts of the script, starting about two years before David [Fincher] decided to make it. It was very different from what it became. It was much more movieish. Dave Toschi was sort of like a super-sexy detective and Robert Graysmith was much more of a sexier obsessive . . . everyone was a little sexier. But then David started working on the reality of it, and all of the real hard, cold facts started being incorporated into the story. All of that kind of movie stuff came out, and what you were left with were these three odd birds involved with this case. It became a psychological journey.
Did you know much about the Zodiac Killer before you made this movie, and are you a fan of true crime?I didn't know anything about the Zodiac Killer before this. I'm not really into that world. It's a scary world and I've had enough of that world. I didn't always have fun in it
You were the Bubble Boy, you were Donnie Darko, a gay cowboy and a young rocket scientist in October Sky. How do you choose your roles?I choose roles for a lot of reasons. I think a lot of actors choose roles as a result of what the story's going to be, that it will be interesting for an audience to watch. I do that too, but I also think that if I'm having fun and it's good, then I think the audience will have fun too. As I learn more about myself and what I really like doing, I don't always go with the conventional wisdom of 'This is what the audience is going to automatically go for.'
How has coming from a showbiz family helped you, and how has it hindered you?My family loves movies and they love stories. They are all consummate movie buffs and highly critical, and it is wonderful being in a family that knows movies so well, it's like speaking a language. But at the same time, while I speak fluently in the language, I'm still very young in the business. It's interesting to see things like that. And it's also interesting to see what other families do because it's such a heightened, weird world. It's nice to know, as I grow up and gain perspective on this world, how very wonderful it is and how messy it is, too.
Have you ever thought of doing something else?Yes, yes. There are tons of things that interest me every day. I love sports, being athletic. I love being outside. I love cooking, I love eating. I love singing; there are a lot of things like that. But when it comes down to it, I love stories and the magic of all that. This is kind of like asking a chess player, 'Are there other games you'd like to play?'
But you're always going to be a chess player, there are so many different combinations to explore. Right now, I'm just interested in getting back to doing work and doing good work. It's a business, being an actor, but it's also playing. It's a really great job to have.
You sure looked, I guess the word is great, in the sequined dress you wore on Saturday Night Live to sing that Dreamgirls song, And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. How much did you have to diet to fit into that thing?Y'know, they made it to order, so none. And it was elastic; thank God for that. But if you want to borrow it at any time, you're more than welcome.
No thanks, but I know some guys who would. How big is your Brokeback Mountain fan base, anyway, and how do you relate to them?I can't really tell you the size of it. And I hope it can't be quantified as just a gay following. After the Saturday Night Live thing, I had all different kinds of people telling me they liked what I did. But as I said on the show, I wanted to give something back to the Brokeback fans. That movie had a pretty extraordinary audience, very faithful and cool. All I can say is that hopefully, though Brokeback was a big thing, I get a couple more years with them as an added bonus.
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