Jake Gyllenhall Says “Acting is Incredibly Selfish” but it is also like “magic”.
With hit movies such as Donnie Darko, Enemy, and Prisoners, Jake Gyllenhaal has become a household name over the last ten years. His latest movie Nightcrawler, hits theaters on Halloween and it will be produced by the critically acclaimed actor.
Gyllenhaal recently revealed the differences between producing and acting but, he also pointed out what he thinks people should understand about actors.
“Acting is an incredibly immature and selfish profession, but I also believe on the flip side of that coin, it can also produce great empathy. … Understand that it is an extraordinarily sensitive job, and I don’t mean to be self-indulgent, but it’s an odd job. … It’s an odd thing conjuring up feelings in the midst of all this chaos … it’s magic.”
Gyllenhaal also revealed that he lost a lot of weight for the movie. But, acting as a producer he decided to cut the scenes from the movie.
“when you’re in nearly every frame, it’s a delicate [postproduction) because it requires an objectivity and a brutality, which actually comes easily as an actor. I love cutting things out that I’m in; I really do enjoy that.” After watching the film three times before being able to give notes objectively, the film’s two scenes that highlight his notable weight loss for the role were cut. “I lost all the weight for the two scenes, … but it was not important to the story as a whole.”
The actor also shared amazing acting advice to aspiring actors: “be aware of your place in a grand family that is making a movie.” Though stars can help provide financing by becoming the face of the movie, their important can be misunderstood, and many people have and had been tied to the project for years by the time an actor signs on, no matter how committed.
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