I am inherently a little brother – that’s just my nature. It has to do with my sister being very strong and wanting to protect me. It’s the natural order of things. – Jake Gyllenhaal
One role blends into the next role. I mean, there’s strange idiosyncrasies from roles that I play that I picked up that will never go away. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I grew up on movie sets, so it was something I just found familiar. When I was growing up also, in high school, I would audition for things and my parents let me audition for things – with the thought that I wouldn’t get them. And then I would get them… sometimes, and it would surprise them. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I think family is the most important thing in the world. I think your own family is the most complicated thing in the world, and I think it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. – Jake Gyllenhaal
Even as an actor, I think like a storyteller. My parents raised us to look at the script. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I think as an actor you have to be open to your emotions – that’s how you tap into other characters. Besides, by being so open I’ve come to terms with how screwed I am! – Jake Gyllenhaal
Some movies you fall a step behind, and some you stay in the same place, make the same choices. And then sometimes there are people who know more than you but show you, and that’s the maximum you can hope for – doing that with someone who says, ‘I like you for what you are, and I want you to be in my picture.’ – Jake Gyllenhaal
As much as I am one for real human interaction, I also want to make a show that’s entertaining and that people want to see. – Jake Gyllenhaal
My mum and dad are pretty amazing chefs and they spent most of my childhood cooking really extravagant things for my sister and me. – Jake Gyllenhaal
Romance is important, but to have a friend you can use as a mirror, who can give you an objective response, that’s what’s really important. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I think that more and more there’s a sense that the best performances I can give are the ones that are the truest to who I am. The further I move away from who I am, the worse they are. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I think it’s important for every man to find the right woman and every woman to find the right man. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I have a mentor. I have… guides. I have a lot of guides. Not a lot, but people whose opinions I really respect and who I will turn to. – Jake Gyllenhaal
Working on a movie like ‘Prince of Persia’ was awesome. It was great fun to be an action hero and to jump around, running off walls and fighting and having great quippy lines. – Jake Gyllenhaal
The idea of competition, particularly in a creative atmosphere, is always there. And, if you don’t acknowledge that, you are doing yourself and the process a disservice. – Jake Gyllenhaal
The best thing that I got was rehearsing with my father. It was always about the process of figuring things out, and trying something new, and having another take on something and keeping it alive. – Jake Gyllenhaal
The last name is pronounced Jill-en-hall. It’s spelled with two l’s, two a’s. We have a song in my family; G-Y-Double L – EN – HAAL spells Gyllenhaal. It’s a Swedish name. It’s a family heirloom set to music. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I grew up in a family where many of our close friends were gay couples. As well as that, every man goes through a period of thinking they’re attracted to another guy. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I liken movies to playing a piano: Sometimes you’re playing the chords and different notes with unresolved cadences and playing all major chords that are all over the place, and you’re enjoying yourself with a great, simple melody. – Jake Gyllenhaal
I remember being in college knowing I didn’t want to go anymore. I wanted to try and become an actor. There is a something in me, with a risk of sounding cliche, that I just had to do it. I knew from an early age that acting was my path. – Jake Gyllenhaal
When you have a lot of opportunities, which I am blessed to have had in terms of my work, you get into the habit of not paying attention to certain specifics. And as we get busy, anything we do is the same thing. – Jake Gyllenhaal
Really, contrary to popular belief, I like to have a good time and not take myself too seriously. – Jake Gyllenhaal
