While many actors swear by method acting, some aren’t very fond of the technique. In the case of Jake Gyllenhaal, his disliking of the technique seems valid, as it’s been tried and tested in his case. According to the actor, whenever someone approaches him to get a piece of advice on acting, he blatantly claims that it is all in his mind.
However, his statement seems quite hypocritic, as once the actor got so involved in his character that he lost 30 pounds for a role. However, despite his utter dedication, his film failed to get nominated for the Oscars.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s transformative journey left unrecognized by the Oscars
When you try ten different ways, you only discover one path that you should actually follow. Such was the case with renowned actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who went beyond his limit for a role and then realized that he didn’t need to follow that approach. The actor was referring to method acting when he claimed,
“Honestly, I wasn’t even that good at Method acting … I realized something I should have realized a long time ago — acting is a really stupid job. It’s pretend! And it’s fun, and it should be filled with joy.”
Gyllenhaal underwent a physical transformation when he lost around 30 pounds to portray the character Lou Bloom in the 2014 film Nightcrawler. Gyllenhaal’s dedication to his role and his willingness to undergo physical transformations for his character was indeed commendable, yet the actor decided to step away from the method acting approach.
Despite his drastic weight loss and intense performance, he didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for that role. This was perhaps the reason why the actor stopped using the method acting approach. During another interview, the actor claimed,
“After a few years of really pushing in different areas, pushing my body physically, pushing my mind, going a little too far in spaces, I’ve realized that joy is a huge part of it.”
Though the actor couldn’t get an Oscar for his role, his dedication was something that didn’t get missed, as the film was met with widespread praise, with critics highlighting Gyllenhaal’s performance.
Fans Left Disappointed as ‘Nightcrawler’ Snubbed by Oscars
The 2014 film Nightcrawler was well-received by both audiences and critics. The intense and thought-provoking premise of the film, along with Jake Gyllenhaal’s exceptional performance, made it an Oscar-winning project, yet it wasn’t even nominated for the Oscar Awards. Considering Gyllenhaal’s dedication, many fans expressed their disappointment when the film didn’t receive an Oscar nomination.
Though the film didn’t achieve massive box office numbers, it did earn more than its production budget, which is generally considered a positive outcome. The film is based on the intense world of crime journalism and the morally ambiguous actions of a journalist capturing graphic crime scenes for news coverage. The film was a cult of its time and made a noteworthy entry in the thriller genre.
Source: Evening Standard
