Jake Gyllenhaal shares behind the scenes acting tips he used while acting in the new action thriller ‘Southpaw‘
Jake Gyllenhaal takes on one of the toughest roles in his career in the upcoming movie ‘Southpaw’ in which he plays a boxer called Billy Hope. While, Gyllenhaal is known for his method acting, the 34-year-old actor revealed how he made the fight scenes more realistic.
“Those things needed to be real. But you f**king get hit many times by mistake as well… It would have been good for the character!” he told Empire magazine when asked what would have happened if he’d broken his nose. “I mean, he basically is broken the whole movie.
You know, his face is pretty much a mess the whole time. So I would have been fine. I don’t like things to be too pre-planned. I mean, I know that sounds pretentious. But to me it’s about commitment.”
And it looks like it has paid off. Critics have praised Jake Gyllenhaal’s acting performance and director Antoine Fuqua’s filmmaking skills.
Gyllenhaal is referred to as one the hardest working actors in Hollywood when it comes to preparing for a role, and according to several filmmakers, he’s extremely involved in becoming his character as much as possible.
“It was Jake’s idea to spend time on the inside as a real inmate. I told him he was crazy and that they would never allow it, nor would we want him to try something so absurd,” said ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ director Martin Scorsese. “But he went to Corcoran warden Connie Gipson, and somehow convinced her to let him spend six months just as a real prisoner would – no special treatment or anything. That boy is something else.”
Corcoran prison is known for its violent history and for housing one of the most notorious inmates of all time, Charles Manson. According to Scorsese, Gyllenhaal has also been granted the opportunity to have several meetings with Manson.
Gyllenhaal has been in the movie business for several years. Big movies under Jake’s belt include the cult classic thriller ‘Donnie Darko’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ in which he starred opposite the late Heath Ledger.
His latest movie ‘Southpaw’ centers around Billy Hope (Jake Gyllenhaal) a one-time boxer at the height of his fame, with a fancy house and a loving family, and despite his career, his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams), pleads for him to quit so he can spend time with his daughter Leila (Oona Laurence). He announces his retirement during a party, but tragedy strikes shortly thereafter and his world starts to fall apart. His last hope is returning to the world of boxing with the help of trainer Titus “Tick” Wills (Forest Whitaker).
‘Southpaw’ features Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, and Rachel McAdams. The film is scheduled to be released on July 24, 2015.
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