When Jake Gyllenhaal was on NOW’s cover, he hadn’t yet broken out as a bona fide heartthrob. Ironically, it was Brokeback Mountain – the Oscar-nominated story of two cowboys with a passionate connection – that helped make him a female fan favourite. We hope our shirtless cover photo of him contributed to his rep as a hot guy to watch.
The intensity of his roles hasn’t let up. Among the dozen films he’s made since then are a pic about veterans returning from war (Brothers), one about a brutal pre-Desert Storm boot camp (Jarhead) and another in which he plays a distraught cop looking for two stolen kids (Prisoners).
He’s now in Toronto with his new film, Nightcrawler. He plays a creepy video journalist who’ll stop at nothing to shoot whatever grisly footage can fetch the highest price. (See review at nowtoronto.com/TIFF.)
Good to know that Gyllenhaal’s acting chops have developed along with his fan base.