I need to propose a question that has plagued me for a long time:
Why isn’t Jake Gyllenhaal a huge movie star right now?
He was heartbreakingly brilliant in Brokeback
Mountain and nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Since then though, his career has not evolved
very much. He has only made a handful of
movies in eight years and a few have gotten critical notice, but nothing has come even close to Brokeback.
So, what is it? Does Jake have bad management? Born into a show business family, he should have the inside track to mega-stardom. He is young, gorgeous
and talented, so what’s missing? Why isn’t
he a movie star on the level of Clooney, Damon & Pitt?
 |
| Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain |
After Brokeback,
what happened? (I mean Prince of Persia? Really?
I couldn’t even sit through the trailer for that one). Last year Jake also did an Off-Broadway show, which boggled my mind.
What I’m saying is I want to see much more of Jake Gyllenhaal (literally & figuratively!). From what I have seen, he is much more than a pretty face and he has not shied away from diverse roles. Early in his career, he helmed October Sky as a budding rocket scientist and will always be recognized for the cult favorite Donnie Darko. He was both creepy and adorable in The Good Girl and compelling in the surprisingly impactful Love & Other Drugs, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
What I’m saying is I want to see much more of Jake Gyllenhaal (literally & figuratively!). From what I have seen, he is much more than a pretty face and he has not shied away from diverse roles. Early in his career, he helmed October Sky as a budding rocket scientist and will always be recognized for the cult favorite Donnie Darko. He was both creepy and adorable in The Good Girl and compelling in the surprisingly impactful Love & Other Drugs, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
Whatever the missing link - maybe things will change after this this weekend. Gyllenhaal stars in the eagerly anticipated thriller
Prisoners, opening today. Will this much promoted film with an all star cast
(including Hugh Jackman) put Jake back on the A-List where he belongs?
Let’s hope so because I cannot quit him.
Honestly, there's no concrete answer to your query. I talked it over with a couple more of his admirers, and many ideas were thrown around. Maybe he doesn't want to take the 'star path' that many do, so he turns down roles that may score him greater visibility? Besides his turn as the Prince of Persia, he hasn't succumbed to appearing in a superhero franchise, though I'm sure Persia was meant to become such. I admired his recent role in End Of Watch, a really fine, fly-on-the-wall cop drama set in LA. I just saw him in his followup to Prisoners, a movie called Enemy, which re-teams him with his director on Prisoners, Denis Villenueve. In that one, he plays his own doppelganger in one of the most intense roles I've yet seem him tackle. Glad you're carrying the torch for him as an actor, as are many, but your initial question just doesn't have a catch-all answer. I just hope he keeps on doing good, thoughtful work, and if he does do a project that will put him in front of a lot of eyes, lets hope he brings the same sense of craft and seriousness he's brought to other roles.
ReplyDelete