Jake Gyllenhaal:
“Education is so essential!”
(Arranged by Carmichael Phillips)
“Education is so essential, because there’s no way of knowing what good material is…if you don’t have a solid education.”
Actors should spend time researching legendary actors, classic performances and timeless cinema as part of their training, according to actor Jake Gyllenhaal. This kind of study, Gyllenhaal contends, is what gives actors a solid foundation.
Since his on-screen debut in the 1991 film, City Slickers, Jake Gyllenhaal has been lighting up the big screen with memorable and award-winning performances.
“To educate yourself is the most important thing.”
His early successes included Donnie Darko, the titular role about a troubled teen. He followed that up with roles in films like The Good Girl (2002), Highway (2002) and Day After Tomorrow (2004).
In an interview with BAFTA Guru, Gyllenhaal makes the case for why actors should be students of the craft. Gyllenhaal maintains that it is only through education that an actor can calibrate their character choices and their approach to new material.
“Education is so essential, because there’s no way of knowing what good material is, or knowing if a story is original, or knowing what makes a story original, or know how to interpret a story, or even to help…if you don’t have a solid education.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go out and get it from a common institution. But, to educate yourself is the most important thing. Otherwise, you’ll be making blind choices that you’re not sure about.”
(Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain)
Gyllenhaal’s most critically acclaimed role to date came in 2005, when he portrayed Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain. His performance landed him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Other noteworthy roles by Gyllenhaal include performances in films like Zodiac (2007), Source Code (2011), Nightcrawler (2014) and Southpaw (2015).
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