Jake Gyllenhaal was ‘reluctant’ to do ‘Donnie Darko’
In April 2022, Jake Gyllenhaal announced that his role in the psychological thriller Donnie Darko, was the first role he got without an audition. He said that immediately after reading the script that was sent to him, he closed it and thought to himself, “I don’t know if I want to meet this person.” Why was Gyllenhaal hesitant to take on the role of the title character? Here’s what we know.
Gyllenhaal quickly overcame his hesitation
Based on the script and before he met Donnie Darko Writer-director Richard Kelly himself, Gyllenhaal wondered if the filmmaker would be some kind of madman hiding in a dark cloak in a corner. Soon after, the two met face-to-face, and to Gyllenhaal’s great relief, Kelly emerged as “a completely humble, really lovely, very kind, totally normal guy.”
When they first met, Kelly and Gyllenhaal heard music suggested for the film and a friendship was born. The day after meeting “normal guy” Kelly in person, Gyllenhaal was offered the role of Donnie Darko, and he accepted.
However, the film itself is still very strange
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In hindsight, Gyllenhaal ponders Donnie Darko as “one of the most powerful” film experiences he’s ever had. That’s not all he has to say about the darkly gripping film. We’ll get to that, but first let’s examine what the 2001 film was about.
After a single viewing, many people are amazed. Some say it takes multiple viewings to understand what’s going on from a distance. Even the revered film critic Roger Ebert said, even if he could tell people something Donnie Darko was, he wasn’t sure if his explanation would be correct.
Alongside a six-foot-tall, demonic-talking rabbit named Frank, which only the terrified, sleepwalking Darko can see, the film features floating wormholes, quantum physics, end-of-the-world prophecies, time travel, and Circa 1998 Society Commentary.
All horror checked Donnie Darko as “a quirky but powerful film that will stay with you for days”. Praising it as a “psychedelic mind-bender” full of colorful characters, numerous plot twists and an excellent soundtrack, the review advises film viewers to enjoy the original release instead of the Director’s Cut, as the latter has superfluous additions that slow things down and take away from the psychological impact of the bizarre, thought-provoking film.
Rotten Tomatoes called Donnie Darko bold, original and “packed with brilliant ideas and intelligence” while giving the film an 86 percent Tomato Meter score and an 80 percent Audience score. The New York Times said that writer-director Kelly lacked the confidence to pull off the intricate plot and that his “compulsion to solder melancholy to weightlessness” was reversed Donnie Darko to a “wobbly cannonball of a movie” with a “corkscrew of a narrative”.
What Gyllenhaal had to say about Donnie Darko
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“There is nothing like it out there. Nothing at all.” This is how Gyllenhaal described the atypical teen drama. Donnie Darko to Entertainment Tonight 15 years after its theatrical debut. He called it “an interesting coming-of-age story” that explores the confusion and psychological strangeness of growing up. Gyllenhaal recently reiterated his conviction Donnie Darko is a film that stands the test of time.
review of the Donnie Darko The cast, which included Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Katherine Ross, Holmes Osborne and his own sister Maggie Gyllenhaal, the 1.8m tall actor said what they have done and created is “amazing”. ”
The things Gyllenhaal went on to do after that Donnie Darko are just as remarkable. In the years that followed, the soft-spoken actor provided starring roles in a number of critically acclaimed films, including Brokeback Mountain, The day after tomorrowand Spiderman: Far From Home.
RELATED: Donnie Darko was Seth Rogen’s first movie, but he knew Jake Gyllenhaal would be the breakout star
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