A catch up with Jake Gyllenhaal in Toronto, Anna Kendrick on End of Watch and an WDW Interlude

As England languishes in bliss with the hot sun we've been missing for weeks, time for a catch up with Jake Gyllenhaal. As of yesterday, Jake was still in Toronto continuing to attract attention. He was seen at Kultura  Restaurant last night by a lucky tweeter who also managed to get a photo of him. Looks like he'd popped out to have a ciggie. The tweeter Casie was double lucky as she'd met Jake before. Meanwhile, another tweeter posted a great account of his adventure, meeting with Jake on Wednesday. There are new photos from the filming of An Enemy on Tuesday and, thanks to IHJ, some of those are included here.

Anna Kendrick, Jake's co-star in End of Watch, is currently in Cannes with her new movie What to Expect when You're Expecting. In an interview for that she mentioned how filming End of Watch took her right out of what she is used to: I’ve done End Of Watch, which is violent and full of suspense and I’ve never done that before. I play Jake Gyllenhaal’s wife. It’s a cop drama. It was crazy to sit in a cinema and watch the scenes. I really experienced myself being sick with worry about Jake’s character. I’m not method – it’s a testament to how good the film is.

WDW Interlude

This hot weather took us out to a river pub where there was a spot of drama, and I don't just mean the peacock nicking people's chips. Abandoned ducklings which had been hiding on the roof of the pub for over a day and a night, finally emerged, peeking over the edge. They were rescued and collected by the RSPCA. Meanwhile the peacock ate more chips.

My review of the Madonna movie about Edward and Mrs Simpson - W.E. - is now up on MovieBrit.

An Enemy starts filming today - Jake Gyllenhaal on set in Toronto and a WDW Interlude

You could set your watch by it... An Enemy was set to start filming in Toronto on 22 May and so it did. And in full view of locals and photographers alike. The photos go a long way towards explaining Jake Gyllenhaal's recent dishevelment - it's the Teacher Look. I'd be first in line to give him an apple.

A smoking teacher, indeed...

WDW Interlude

Oxford was closed off to all traffic not on two wheels today. The Halfords Cycling Tour Series reached the city for an hour-long speedy sprint around and around a short circuit in the historic centre. It was quite exhausting watching them, I can tell you.

Fortunately, a pub by the river beckoned for a cooling drink on the hottest day of the year so far (although after the weather we've had for the last couple of months any day would be hard pressed not to be the hottest day of the year so far). Entertainingly, some people arrived by punt.

Jake Gyllenhaal wines and dines in NYC and Toronto in just one day! Mothers, directors, Slaughtered Lambs, co-stars involved...

No wonder Jake Gyllenhaal's beard is growing to mighty proportions, he's so busy clocking up the airmiles he's had no time to bother with shaving. It's a miracle he's remembered to put clothes on his body. This weekend Jake has been putting his time to good use by spending Sunday with his mum Naomi in New York City (possibly to have a little bit of a break from new born babies?) before flying to Toronto to have dinner with An Enemy's director Denis Villeneuve. Fortunately, there were photographers about in NYC who managed to get a shot or two of Jake not travelling in public transport. Although he was getting a taxi. But I don't think that counts.

Several things to note here about these wonderful pictures courtesy of IHJ. Firstly, never mind the beard, this is fantastic hair. Denis Villeneuve gets the WDW Seal of Approval for Jake's An Enemy Hair. Clearly, David Ayer didn't do so well for End of Watch. Secondly, Jake's doing odd things with his trousers and shoes again. Thirdly, muscle definition. Fourthly and possibly most importantly, did Jake and Naomi eat in The Slaughtered Lamb? If so, this would prove my rule that it is impossible to walk past a pub called The Slaughtered Lamb and not go in.

Tweets put Jake and Denis in the Italian restaurant Terroni. Yet again I marvel at how expensive Oxford prices are compared to everyone else... One lucky tweeter managed to get a photo. Another got an even better photo (thanks to Mermon for the link)!

Meanwhile, one of Jake's co-stars in An Enemy, Sarah Gadon, has been walking Cannes red carpets and mentioned how happy she is to get the chance to work with Denis Villeneuve. 'The way I look at it, I’ve aligned myself with Cronenberg and now Villeneuve, and that’s when I go, OMG. For me as a film student, it’s all about the director and the film process, and I feel honoured to be at these auteurs’ table. I certainly have pinch-me moments.' The question is, did she actually say 'OMG'?

Thanks to BBMISwear for the dinner tweet :-)

Jake Gyllenhaal in Toronto as preparations for An Enemy heat up and a catch up with Maggie

Having spent a few days back in NYC, helping to knock the inhabitants into shape by taking over the SoulCycle spin class again, Jake Gyllenhaal is now in Toronto where An Enemy is due to begin filming on 22 May. Tweets spotted Jake at the airport and then in the city where the sets for the movie were being built. When Jake wasn't helping with that (no doubt putting those legendary carpentry skills to good use), he was outside having a smoke. He has also been meeting with other potential members of the cast.

Being in Toronto may come in handy next month for Jake when The Shoes' Time to Dance video is entered in the Scene Not Herd section of the Toronto Short Film Festival. More details here.

End of Watch is released in the US on 28 September. On the same day, Maggie's film Won't Back Down is also released (conflict of interest for relatives). The trailer has just been released.



Meanwhile Maggie's next movie Hysteria, a film that seems to have been around for ages, finally opens in the US tomorrow. Maggie hasn't been able to attend premieres and events due to the recent birth of Gloria - babysitters are so unreliable these days - but in this interview Maggie talks about how she got into character by drinking lots of espresso and gives tips for managing the English accent. No doubt a subject discussed with Jake over recent years. I do hope that the film will get a British release.

Thanks to IHJ for the screencap and to BBMISwear for some of the links!

Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Erotic Thriller' End of Watch gets some more cast

With the filming of An Enemy approaching (22 May in Toronto), we have some more cast for what director Denis Villebeuve describes as an 'erotic thriller'. Jake's lover will be played by Melanie Laurent  but cast also includes Isabella Rossellini and Sarah Gadon.

'Niv Fichman, founding partner of Rhombus Media, said: “If ever there was a dream team assembled to make a movie, this is it. From a stellar cast to the greatest production team, led by one of the world’s most intriguing directors. And we’re all thrilled to be working with Pathé, whose consistent guidance and support followed Denis’ vision at every step.” Cameron McCracken, MD of Pathé UK, added: “At first sight, Javier’s brilliant script is a straight thriller. But as he starts peeling back the layers, it becomes a far more sophisticated, thought-provoking entertainment. Niv’s choice of Denis to master this material is inspired – we look forward to a great partnership”. '

Remembering how years ago Jake and Maggie were featured in an interview with New Yorker (2002) and were gobsmacked when Isabella Rossellini walked into the restaurant (arguing about the spelling of her name), it seems wonderful that she will be starring with Jake in An Enemy.

Thanks to IHJ for the fantastic picture.

Jake Gyllenhaal back in LA, back at the Medical Center and a WDW sunny interlude

Jake Gyllenhaal has been back in LA this weekend, giving him the perfect opportunity to pop by the Beverly Hills Medical Center on Friday 11 May to apologise for having missed so many shifts at the Center over recent months. In the past, visits have coincided with trips abroad and filmsets about to get underway.

It seems that the Beverly Hills uniform of white shirt, dark trousers and light shoes is catching on as Jake pulls out all the stops to blend in. One of the below is Jake - you get only two guesses.

Thanks to IHJ for the new photographs! And thanks to Mermon for spotting this photo of Jake among the crowd at the cognac party in NYC last week which Jake attended with Jay-Z.

WDW Interlude

The sun came out yesterday for the first time in what feels like living memory. The perfect excuse to set off into the countryside on the motorbike, taking in some village fetes, country pubs, Roman villas and churches and the odd chicken or two.

 

End of Watch makes Anna Kendrick blush and Jake Gyllenhaal puts his life in Michael Pena's hands

Jake Gyllenhaal  is managing to avoid the cameras, despite having been spotted on planes, trains and automobiles - well, in airports (presumably travelling to and from Toronto for preparations for filming An Enemy) and on NYC subways.

Last night, though, Jake managed to escape public transport long enough to attend the launch party of a new cognac, D'ussé, at the Top of the Standard Hotel in New York. Also there was Jay-Z, making this the third time in recent days that Jake has attended an event with Jay-Z. It certainly seems very probable that Jake and Jay-Z are planning to collaborate on a project, whether this is a song for End of Watch or, who knows?, another music video is yet to be revealed. Unfortunately, Jake was in stealth mode and said no to cameras.

The release of the first trailer for End of Watch continues to attract attention. Anna Kendrick has been talking to E! about the intimacy of working with Jake on such a film where the boundaries between reality an fiction were blurred.

"We were shooting [End of Watch] on tiny cameras with very little lighting and a very small crew. There was a lot of improv," Kendrick said. "It felt incredibly intimate. You're in character all the time because you're shooting all the time. So Jake and I would be holding hands and suddenly we'd be like, 'Oh, we're not filming.'" Ask her just how steamy things got with Jakey and Kendrick begins to giggle. "Oh, my goodness—I'm actually blushing," she said. "Yeah, it gets all sexy time with us."

On Tuesday, David Ayer, the director of End of Watch, was interviewed for the New York Times about his film which 'aims to transcend clichés that have piled up over the years, he explained, by portraying a pair of local patrol officers, played by Mr. Gyllenhaal and Mr. Peña, who are not crazed or corrupt. Instead they bring fierce mutual loyalty and an unexpected sweetness to their pursuit of goodness in a bad world.'

This is a fascinating glimpse into the fast and furious filming of End of Watch, including Jake's experience learning to use a firearm with live ammunition:

'In an unusual exercise with live ammunition, the actors learned to shoot past each other in what proved to be a lesson less in police tactics than in bonding. “This guy has my life in his hands for real,” Mr. Gyllenhaal recalled thinking. “I realized, I finally knew what we were dealing with.” (Mr. Ayer said the actors were “safe all the time” during the exercise at a training ground in Burbank.)'

A relief to hear that Michael Pena (and Jake) is a good shot!

Thanks to IHJ for their trailer caps!