Jake Gyllenhaal: Acting is not real life in any form, you walk into a scene with all of your life experiences

For a lot of people, real life is deeply connected with the acting world, and sometimes even mirrors it, but that doesn’t stand true for Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal.

“I think real life shapes you as a human, and acting shapes your imagination. I strongly believe that acting is not real life in any form,” Gyllenhaal tells us.

He continues. “In fact, it is life that always shapes one as a human. So, I have a deep belief that you walk into a scene with all of your life experiences. And it is the skill of acting or the craft of it, comes from how curious you are, and how big your imagination is”.

It’s been over three decades since Gyllenhaal has been working his way through in Hollywood, bringing different shades of complicated men on screen from cons to police officers. He is known for films such as Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, Nightcrawler, Spider-Man: Far from Home, The Guilty and Ambulance.

Opening up about his method as an actor, the 41-year-old shares, “A lot of times people say that acting is pretend. I don’t believe acting is pretend. I think it’s a real access to your imagination and a sense of play. And then you can hopefully build the human you are with the stuff that has nothing to do with the acting, but more to do with life and the people you love and the things you go through good and bad”.

Even though he works in Hollywood, Gyllenhaal took a conscious decision to stay in New York, and he admits his soul is in Los Angeles.

He says, “I don’t live in LA anymore, but I have grown up in Los Angeles. I love the city because there is the seaside, movie business, the culture is the most extraordinary. So, for me, going back to LA is always special”.

“It has a stunning visual landscape. It is my home where I was born in the city. My soul found its way there. I am tied to it and connected to it,” concludes the actor.