Jake Gyllenhaal is known for being very closely guarded when it comes to his personal life.
Despite being in a number of high profile relationships with the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Reece Witherspoon, the actor has regularly refused to discuss even the most innocuous details of his life outside of work. He once refused to share with a journalist, the filling of a sandwich he'd consumed just before the interview.
The Guardian's Tim Jonze recently learned the hard way how Gyllenhaal views any attempt to get him to open up a little bit. In a piece published today, Jonze described how he sat down for a wide ranging chat with Gyllenhaal who is doing the promotional rounds for his new sci-fi thriller, Life.
The interview seemed to start of well with the pair sharing a joke about a chair left out for Gyllenhaal which resembled something you'd find in a psychiatrist's office. However the cracks began to appear in their newly formed rapport when Gyllenhaal didn't seem to think Jonze was giving enough respect to the craft of acting. Gyllenhaal is of course known for the intensity he brings to his roles, often going above and beyond to transform himself (both physically and mentally) into the character.
It was when Jonze touched on the issue of whether Gyllenhaal brings the same level of intensity to guarding his private life that friction between the pair really began to form.
"I’m not necessarily guarded, but I consider intimacy to be very important and I don’t think everybody needs to know about my family or my personal details. I’m old school in that way.”
The irony of course is that another of Gyllenhaal's former flames, Taylor Swift, has never been shy about letting the world know about details from her relationships through her music. Jonze couldn't resist asking whether Gyllenhaal thought he was playing with fire in that instance. As Jonze admitted from the outset, this proved to be a big mistake.
“I think when you’re in a relationship, you are constantly scrutinised, your friends are scrutinised, but ...” Gyllenhaal began, before trailing off and silently staring at Jonze until the latter broke the silence by asking if Gyllenhaal had listened to the numerous songs by Swift that are rumoured to be about him.
"I would love to not talk about my personal life." Gyllenhaal responded. Jonze obliged by moving the conversation onto his new role before eventually getting onto politics. Gyllenhaal wasn't prepared to let Jonze's indiscretion go though, making reference to it again during their political discussion.
"And I’m sure you know it, because you seem like a very smart person who has done their research, particularly into tabloid research, which is obviously the most important of all research.”
It's well worth checking out Jonze's piece in full, which you can read here.
Via The Guardian
