Jake stopped by the MSN headquarters today to answer fan’s questions about his new movie ‘End Of Watch’, his amazing beard and what biscuit he likes to dunk into his tea. Check out the highlights from the interview below:
Theo asked: I heard you were tasered in preparation for the role! What was that all about!? Surely that’s taking dedication to the role a tad far?
Jake: That is true, all of the actors who play police offers in the movie were tasered. We were offered the option of being pepper sprayed and we opted for short and painful as opposed to long and painful. I’d been four months in prep already so when it came down to us going to the police academy, we’d already spent four months with police officers on the street in South Central LA.
Kon asked: When are you going to shave your beard?
Jake: After the run of my play, which ends Dec 23rd, I start shooting another movie a few weeks later, so depending on the external trappings that character will have… This beard is for the play I’m doing now.
Barnsey asked: Mr Gyllenhaal – you have come a very long way since the days of Donnie Darko. What has been your favourite role to play and why?
Jake: All of them are specific so I love them all in different ways but I would say right now the End of Watch character was my most favourite to date only because it involves so much preparation and the prep was like a dream, you always dream of being to act out a police officer in one way or another. But I’d say Donnie Darko too, it’s one of my favourite, because it fit perfectly with the time in my life, it matched the mentality of the time in my life.
Dufus asked: People are saying Michael Pena should get an Oscar for End Of Watch. Have you heard this or do you just ignore all that stuff?
Jake: I’m one of those people saying that.
Natalia asked: After doing End of Watch do you think you could work as a real cop?
Jake: I think I learned many skills that police officers have to use doing the job and witnessed many things that they go through. I was told by a number of cops I could survive on the street but seeing what they do, I don’t think that’s true. I’m going to stick to my profession…
Nic asked: I heard you like gardening. What started your interest in this?
Jake: I believe deeply in everyone knowing where their food comes from, I grew up around farmers and with my family growing some of their own food in a veg garden. But gardening is a broad term, I love flowers but i’m not growing any!
AliceRobswriter asked: End of watch was done on a tiny budget, how much of a challenge was that in comparison with you bigger-budget roles?
Jake: “It was the most fulfilling exp so far in my career because it took the most prep because we had a smaller time to execute what we needed to execute so there was not a wasted moment. When you
have less time there’s more pressure but we had a lot of prep.”
Tomo asked: “A lot has been said about the bromance between you and Michael Pena in the film – what do you think makes good on-screen chemistry?”
Jake: Well I think when you’re dealing with a story about two best friends I think chemistry is all about humour. Everything is about context so teasing is not always appropriate. That’s where Michael and I had to get to, we spent five months together, and by the end I knew what annoyed him and what he loved and he knew the same about me. And I knew what made him joyous and vice versa, when you know somebody that makes for great chemistry. Thankfully for me and Michael we really got along. We could joke with each other, fight with each other and we had each others back.
Erin asked: “Jake, if you didn’t make it as an actor what job do you think you would be doing now?”
Jake: I would love to try my hand at being a police officer
MissLondonEye asked: Favourite movie ever?
Jake: Can. Not. Do. That (Laughs). Toss up between Smurfs: The Musical and Fievel Goes West…
Em asked: You travel a lot. What aspect do you enjoy the most about travelling? Whats your favourite thing about London?
Jake: My fave thing about travelling is how each culture expresses themselves stylistically and culinarily. I love food, so it’s wonderful to explore that side of any culture. Some of my closest friends live in and around London and that’s what i love the most about London. A handful of my closest friends are British.
Erin asked: Jake, what’s the strangest thing a fan has ever said to you?
Jake: I’ve never really found anythng a fan said to me strange. People definitely have a lot to say and there are many different opinions and they express them to me. What I think is wonderful about being public with your career, is that people are allowed to express themselves. Nothing strange though, I’ve been doing it long enough not to find anybody strange, everybody is unique.
Zena asked: After a hard day at work, you sit down with a nice hot cup of coffee/tea, what is your biscuit of choice to dunk in it?
Jake: A tea cake!
John asked: Can you see similarities between the character you played in end of watch and jarhead ?
Jake: I think the history of my character in end of watch includes a lot of experience I had in preparing for Jar Head so Brian Taylor who I play in End of watch was a marine and I played a marine in Jar Head. So there are similarities, strangely even, just in the backstory of both characters but ultimately, one is a real person and another is fictional. But there are similar things in training and background and history.
Jake: Thank you all for joining us, I can’t see any of you but I really appreciate you taking your time out of the day to ask me these questions. I hope that you all keep giving me the opportunity to do what I love and hope you have a wonderful afternoon. Stay warm if it’s cold where you are!
