15 Reasons Why Jake Gyllenhaal Has Been Dropped By Hollywood
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We all remember seeing the dreamy blue-eyed heartthrob in Donnie Darko, launching Gyllenhaal to cult status and starting what would be a very respectable run in Hollywood, but something about his career to-date leaves us with a feeling that he could have done (and still can do) more than he has. The question is, however, will he get those opportunities again? Hollywood isn't known for second chances, and even someone with Jake's appeal is not exempt from the fickle nature of the beast. To keep up in Hollywood you need to play by their rules, and Jake has definitely taken some roles that may not have been his first choice, while also giving us some memorable performances that Hollywood didn't care for. He's also given us some memorable appearances off the silver screen, with a list of ex-girlfriends that reads like a magazine's "Fifty hottest celebs" as well as popping up in the unlikeliest of places.
How some of these appearances have affected Hollywood's take on Jake is unclear, but what is clear is that Jake does his own thing - never a safe bet for a long and fruitful Hollywood career. The circumstances at play here wouldn't get anyone shunned on their own, and Jake hasn't made any big mistakes in his career, but rather a collection of small things have led him away from Hollywood. Let's take a look at some of the factors that may have contributed to us not seeing Gyllenhaal in big-budget movies anymore.
Jake's no jackpot
You probably remember seeing Jake for the first time in City Slickers or Donnie Darko, two movies that have since become somewhat cult in their popularity. Admittedly, Donnie Darko was something of a personal favourite when I was a teenager - even though the film didn't make much sense, Gyllenhaal's performance added to the film's quaint charm. The thing is, quaint charm doesn't bring in the big bucks. The highest grossing movie to date starring Jake is The Day After Tomorrow which came in at around 190 million dollars but also had several other big-name actors and capitalised on the buzz surrounding climate change at that time. His next-highest gross where he was the main star was Prince of Persia which pulled in 90 million dollars. While this may sound like a lot to some, this hardly compares to the 700-odd-million dollars racked up by Black Panther since it's release in theatres. Jake has always chosen his roles carefully, and despite making headlines for himself he hasn't made the bottom-line that Hollywood want from a big-name actor. At this stage of his career, it's unlikely he will get cast as any well-known franchise character - and it's not even certain that he would accept that kind of role were it offered to him.
All a bunch of theatrics
Since his off-Broadway debut in 2012, Jake has almost done more stage-acting than screen-acting and he clearly intends to continue with his thespian endeavours. He has made several appearances on- and off- Broadway as well as some benefit productions and is probably best known for Sunday in the Park with George which has seen several runs with Gyllenhaal reprising his role each time - most recently in 2017. He was also scheduled to appeared in Lanford Wilson's Burn This, and the production was actually re-scheduled to fit Jake's timetable - a clear indicator that Jake doesn't have enough time for projects he wants to do, let alone any kind of big-budget Hollywood movie that he would have to invest all his time into. When you take into account the themes and statements brought up in all of Jake's appearances both on-screen and on-stage, it sort of makes sense that Jake continues to put an emphasis on small productions that make a big impact and the idea of seeing him in some vapid, special-effects heavy summer blockbuster just seems less and less likely. While this is a situation of his own making, I'm sure Jake isn't at all bothered by the position he finds himself in currently.
Boyish charm
Jake definitely charmed more than one teenage girl with his slightly disturbed, daydreaming high-schooler in Donnie Darko and continued to seduce his fan-base with subsequent movies, but as he has grown up he has had to fight extra hard to shake his pretty-boy image - with some tempered success. Jake has bulked up for several of his movies - notably Prince of Persia, the video-game adaptation and Southpaw, the story of a boxer who overcomes adversity. In the latter we see a ripped Gyllenhaal as we have never seen him before, almost unrecognisable next to this picture of him as Donnie. While there have been rumours of steroid-use, it's most likely that people can't believe someone with eyes that blue can also be a muscle-monster and many would probably prefer he remain more "Hugh Grant" and a little less "Connor McGregor". Being a teenage heartthrob is a hard stereotype to shake as you grow up, and while actors like Leonardo DiCaprio have managed to grow into their looks and evolve their image, Jake has remained the quiet little boy with the dreamy eyes and his shy, demure character even while off-screen has also helped to cement this image. He also has a tendancy to yo-yo between scrawny and buff depending on his roles which makes him a great character actor, but not a consistent draw for his muscular appearance.
The Leo syndrome
One area where Jake's career emulated that of Leonardo DiCaprio's (until Leo's ultimate acknowledgement by the Academy) is in missing all of his Academy Award nominations. An Oscar to his name would surely have helped keep Jake on the screen and in the public eye, but not even his hugely unforgettable turn in Brokeback Mountain across from longtime friend, the late Heath Ledger, could quite get him the little golden statuette that all Hollywood actors dream of. Unlike Leo however, who famously coveted the award for so long and made every effort to win one, Jake had far fewer nominations and took many more risks with the films he starred in. Perhaps it was never about the awards for Gyllenhaal and the messages in his film are more important to him than recognition by the Academy, but one thing is for sure - if he had played ball just a little more until he got an Oscar on his belt, he may have stayed in big-name productions for longer. The silver-lining here is that some smaller-scale movies have the potential to nab a surprise win for their leading roles and as long as Jake keeps doing movies, there is still a chance that he can take home the big one - however it won't be easy.
Indie blues
One major reason we don't see Jake in big-budget blockbusters is that he simply prefers to take roles in lesser movies with a bigger message. Movies like End of Watch (pictured) and the greatly acclaimed Nightcrawler have very real and heavy themes that are perhaps a little too edgy compared to the safe-bets of the big Hollywood studios. While these are great movies that received critical acclaim, the important messages behind them and the themes they bring up overshadow the man himself, who famously never tries to make himself the focus of attention in his movies. The character comes first, exemplified by the movie Stronger where Gyllenhaal portrays a real-life survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing where the focus is most definitely on the hardships overcome by the character rather than celebrating Gyllenhaal's performance. While this all very admirable, one can't help but think that by taking some less serious roles that would allow Jake to remain the focus of the movie, he could have boosted his own value within the industry and maybe even put himself in a position where more people would receive the messages he puts across in other movies. If awareness is your goal, then promoting yourself every-so-often can only help you in that respect.
Behind the scenes
As with many big-name actors before him, Jake has also turned his hand to producing movies he is starring in. Usually this is a move made later in one's career - when they already have their blockbuster and Oscar days behind them, but for Jake this was clearly something he always intended on doing and he has the family pedigree needed for him to know everything he should be doing to make the transition. In the highly-acclaimed dark thriller Nightcrawler Jake both starred-in and produced the movie, receiving nominations and awards for both of these roles in the production. While producing his own movies is most certainly admirable, as is the result in this case, it probably goes some way to letting Hollywood know that he "doesn't need them" anymore and that his focus is on playing by his rules rather than the traditional big-screen rat-race of chasing bigger and bigger roles as well as the Academy Awards that go with them. While studios are probably disappointed that Jake didn't choose bigger and more public roles after his career-defining turn in Brokeback Mountain, there were plenty of other potential leading men in Hollywood to take his place, leaving Jake to do what he loved and go the Indie route both in front of and behind the camera.
Political debate
As we have discussed, Jake has a passion for putting messages into his movies, but his passion for politics extends beyond the silver screen and taking any kind of political stance in this day-and-age means you will always alienate someone, and Hollywood aren't in the business of alienating audiences - the smaller your demographic, the less potential money you can make from a film. Not only that but we have seen with countless other actors over the last five or ten years just how badly speaking your mind can affect your career options. It's not that these actors hold unpopular opinions, but rather the public has a short attention span, and most of those who have suffered did so because they carried on campaigning long after the public had stopped caring about what it was they were campaigning for. It's most definitely unfair to punish someone for upholding their principles but in the world of Hollywood, taking a stance makes you more of a liability than a hero in the eyes of studios and film producers. While Jake hasn't made any regrettable statements or actions in this vein, Hollywood looks at the future and an actor who sticks to their principles may end up in a conflict of interests further down the line, and Hollywood doesn't like any kind of backtalk or people making waves.
The man's man - for men
It may have started with Brokeback Mountain but Jake's popularity in the Gay community has never dwindled since. Despite publicly quashing rumours about his own romantic preferences - Jake likened his romantic scenes with Heath Ledger to "kissing a girl that I'm not attracted to" - this didn't stop him from becoming a Gay icon. Thousands of men from the LGBT community were polled by website AfterElton in 2007 and 2008 for their "Hot 100" list with Jake coming in number one both years in a row. While there is clearly nothing wrong with having increased appeal with a certain demographic, it's arguable that Hollywood saw this as typecasting and possibly diminished his appeal to other demographics. While men across America can only dream of Jake, he never showed any kind of regret for his appearance in Brokeback Mountain and didn't back down from his decisions. Gyllenhaal stated in an interview that "he doesn't feel any attraction to men but he doesn't think it would bother him if he did" - and of course, why would it? Unfortunately Hollywood doesn't always have a logical approach to this kind of situation and it's possible that if Jake had remained there, they would have kept shoe-horning him into specifically LGBT-targeted productions.
Running in the family
Pictured here with his mother, screenwriter Naomi Foner, Jake grew up in a family of filmmakers. While you might think this would make the transition to acting an obvious one, his parents certainly didn't push him into it, and actually took steps to curtail his foray into film while growing up. Not wanting him to become spoiled or have a skewed outlook on the world, they pushed him into more mundane jobs as a teenager like being a lifeguard for the summer and working as a busboy at a family friend's restaurant - even working at a homeless shelter to give him perspective on his privileged lifestyle. As admirable as these actions are, they don't scream "Hollywood" the way that typical diva behaviour and shameless self-promotion do and it's not a giant leap to infer that perhaps his parents (and actor-sister Maggie) aren't at all disappointed by Jake's decision to remain grounded and put his principles first when choosing roles. All of this just makes us love Jake even more, of course, but it does indicate a personality that is perhaps too complex to be controlled and directed by Hollywood - where money is everything and everything is for sale, including one's integrity.
Career Campaigner
Jake's political statements haven't stopped at his choices for roles in movies. He has a lot of messages to send us while off-screen also. After shooting a commercial for "Rock the Vote" before the 2004 election, he also visited the University of Southern Carolina in order to encourage the students there to vote in the upcoming election, as well as campaigning for Democrat candidate John Kerry. While Hollywood is an overwhelmingly "blue" kind of place, it's also a place of fleeting loyalties and sacrificial goats. As we've seen more recently in 2016, many of the more vocal supporters of Hillary Clinton seemed to more-or-less "disappear" after her unfortunate loss in the election. While many of Jake's biggest films came out after Kerry's defeat by Bush in 2004, actors must ask themselves if sticking their own neck out for losing candidates is really worth the potential fallout it could have for their own career and the possibility of polarising their demographic when their support is so public. More recently, Jake participated in the Women's March (pictured above with his sister, actor Maggie Gyllenhaal), an admirable cause that seems increasingly at odds with Hollywood under the current atmosphere of misogyny and misconduct rife amongst big-name directors and producers. It would come as no surprise if we discovered that Jake wanted nothing more to do with Hollywood whether they would take him back or not.
Sit down, be humble
Jake is famously diplomatic and weary of tooting his own horn. This endears him to his audience but perhaps prevents him from making selfish decisions about which roles he takes and which he doesn't. Jake was famously considered for the role of Batman in Batman Begins with Christian Bale eventually landing the iconic, career re-defining position. Ostensibly, Gyllenhaal lost out to Bale but some maintain that Jake turned the role down because it didn't have a message to convey that resonated with him, and Jake instead got busy with the more poignant movies Jarhead - a film about the futility of war and, of course, Brokeback Mountain. Whether or not landing the role really was up to Gyllenhaal, such a huge career-boost couldn't have done him any harm and perhaps he did feel like he had lost out, explaining his decision to play the Prince in Prince of Persia, a very non-political movie based on a video-game franchise that unfortunately did not garner anywhere near the same attention as the Batman reboot - mostly due to the fact it just wasn't as good a movie and didn't have a legend like Christopher Nolan at the helm. Prince of Persia would be the first and last time Jake accepted such a role in a movie of this kind although there are hot new rumours that Jake is considering the role of Mysterio in the upcoming Spiderman sequel. Mysterio is certainly a more complex character than most in the superhero world and seems to fit Jake's habit of playing deranged men when on-screen but even if it works out, is it enough to salvage his relationship with Hollywood?
Not my scene
Even the very things that Hollywood stands for seem at odds with Jake's desire to convey a message and make a difference in the world - which in turn is at odds with his desire to be successful as an actor. There are, however, occasions where these principles intersect. Famously concerned with social issues, The Day After Tomorrow gave Gyllenhaal his first real opportunity to use a big-budget Hollywood movie that he starred in as a platform to promote awareness on a subject close to his heart. After filming ended on the movie, Jake flew to the Arctic to promote awareness of climate change. This issue has remained as important to him as it has to the world at large, and we have seen Jake continue to touch on the subject since his turn as the kooky zoologist in non-Hollywood movie Okja, released last year. While promoting the film at the Cannes Film Festival, Jake talked about the importance of the themes dealt with in the Netflix-backed movie - a film about a young girl's relationship with her genetically engineered giant pig-creature, unaware of the animal's destiny as a food-source. The film also deals with other environmental issues, and Jake brought up climate change during his speech given at Cannes - even implicitly targeting current POTUS Donald Trump as having pushed back the consensus on climate change by several decades.
Jake who?
While it would be an exaggeration to say that the public has all but forgotten Jake Gyllenhaal, he is by no means at the forefront of Hollywood casting directors' minds. Amidst rumours of a return to blockbuster as Marvel's Mysterio, this does more to prove his typecasting as the typical deranged and Machiavellian personality when on-screen than to indicate any kind of future potential to be a Hollywood leading man. Indeed, if he lands the role, Jake could find himself only playing the bad-guy from here on out, in the mould of Alan Rickman or Gary Oldman - despite being much more conventionally attractive. The problem is that time has gone by quickly for Jake, and if he truly wishes to have more chances at blockbuster stardom then he probably should have waited before going the Indie route and producing his own movies. Many of the more recognisable roles in franchised movie series' have already been filled by stars who were in the right place at the right time career-wise, and sometimes being typecast as a particular character is better than not being cast at all. If Jake wants to get back into Hollywood, he will have to hope that it's not too late.
Their way or the high-way
Despite various controversies hitting the big-name Hollywood studios right now, they have never been more in control of the industry. Between Warner Bros. rights to DC Entertainment and Disney acquiring both the Star Wars and Marvel Universe licenses, it seems every big-budget flick to come out these days falls into one of these two groups. Stars themselves don't command the same respect and independence they once did, and once they are pigeon-holed into a particular character they may be afraid of doing anything else for fear of failing and being unable to return. This puts studios in an immense position of power where they only have to compete for box-office numbers rather than the loyalties of their stars. In this respect, Hollywood doesn't need guys like Jake Gyllenhaal - true character actors who invest their souls into their roles rather than just putting a face to a comic-book costume. While Jake has never done anything to hurt Hollywood per se, it's unsure whether Jake really wants to get on their side and do things their way in pursuit of success. He's already had a fine career that many would be proud of by doing things his own way, is he truly prepared to sacrifice any part of his integrity, however small, in order to have a few more shots at an Oscar or some blockbuster recognition? It's hard to see Jake having the same kind of success with Mysterio that his late friend Heath Ledger had with The Joker, but what is certain is that he would put as much emotion and intrigue into the character as Heath did.
Time to move on
As Jake has shown us countless times over his career, there's more to life than Hollywood - and that includes romance. Jake has landed himself some stunning dates in his time, and broken several hearts. He toyed with the emotions of poor model Alyssa Miller (pictured) and famously dated singer Taylor Swift - a relationship people still talk about six years later. Gyllenhaal is close to his own family and while he hasn't exaggerated his relationship with his parents, he still takes all his girlfriends home to meet his mum, and is especially close to his sister Maggie. Despite his good looks and charm, all his romantic success has been fleeting. It would not be a stretch to imagine that perhaps Jake wants to spend some time working - truly working - on his personal life. As a 36 year-old bachelor it's by no means too late, but most of his contemporaries have kids or at least a divorce under their belt by now - perhaps another testament to Jake's principled decision-making, perhaps merely a sign that romantic success has eluded him the same way as the Oscars and blockbuster recognition. Whether or not Jake makes a return to Hollywood, we wish him success both on and off the silver screen.
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