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JAKE GYLLENHAAL on 'JARHEAD'
Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor
for Radio Free Entertainment
October 16, 2005
Based on the memoirs of Tony Swofford, a Marine who was stationed in the Middle East during the Gulf War, Jarhead takes an up-close look at the life of a soldier from boot camp to battlefield. It examines the physical and mental hardships endured by the Marines, including the long-lasting psychological effects of being in hostile, foreign territory for so long. The film is refreshingly apolitical in its approach, focusing more on character development than heavy-handed grandstanding. It also boasts its share of satirical humor and powerful imagery (the shots of the oil fields on fire are quite spectacular).
Jarhead is directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road to Perdition) and stars Jake Gyllenhaal in the role of Tony Swofford. Chris Cooper, Peter Sarsgaard, and Jamie Foxx round out the cast.
In this interview, Jake Gyllenhaal talks about the story's appeal and how the experience of making this film has impacted his life.
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The Interview
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MEDIA: How did Sam Mendes come to pick you for the lead role?
JAKE: I went through a long process of him casting me. It wasn't really rigorous, necessarily, but, at least in my mind, I went through a lot of things. I really wanted to do the part from the beginning, so I was into it. And I, along the way, thought at times I wasn't going to get it. So he put me through a long process, and by the time he cast me, I think he was pretty sure that he wanted me to play the part. And in wanting me to play the part, I think he accepted that he wanted me--for the things I had inside in me. And he saw that there were things, probably, that other directors hadn't seen before, and he wanted to push.
What was Sam like as a director, and how did the experience of working on his set affect you?
Many, many scenes he would say to me, "How do you want to do this? How are you feeling? What are you actually feeling?" Not, "I'm going to force you into my agenda." And in doing that, it just kind of forced me to see me for who I was. I wasn't putting on anything for him or anyone else. And that made me grow up immediately. And on top of all that, there was the physical stuff of just pushing my body to a limit where it had never been pushed before. And then there was also just being around a lot of people who I really respected and looked up to--people like Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard, who are, in my opinion, really admirable men. And also our military advisors, who are people who have been [in] and seen some really incredible and awful things, and are still kind, caring, really cool people. And so I just looked up to all them, and the things they did, I tried to emulate at times. It just was a process of growing up. And Sam opened me up to that. And it's weird, because I think on movie sets, people tend to act immaturely. [laughs] Or they're allowed to. And Sam was actually asking for the opposite.
What were some of the aspects of this project that appealed to you?
Jarhead the book didn't have that much [structure], and I just related to it somehow. It wasn't like a clear through-line. I don't think the movie really has that either. You're looking forward to war most of the time, but if I were to ask you what scene came before another scene, you probably wouldn't be able to tell me, as I probably wouldn't be able to tell you--and I've seen the movie now three or four times, and I've shot the movie for five months. There's a style to that that I really responded to. And then just in the character, I think I just hit it at a perfect time, where I was just the right age. There's something about the aggression and harnessing that aggression. Being able to have a part where you don't have to do your hair or have wardrobe. [laughs] You didn't have to deal with any of that stuff. You're just basically you. And that, to me, seemed like it could have either been a place where you weren't allowed to do anything and you were controlled, or someplace where you could do anything. And it ended up being the latter. So that's what I was into--going to a place where I could deal with a lot of feelings that I think are in me, but that I hadn't really paid a lot of attention to. And Tony's book really expressed those feelings pretty passionately.
Has the experience of making this film changed your outlook on the military?
Without a doubt, I started off with a judgement, as probably anybody does who hasn't had any experience in anything, but has a point of view of it. And I think I always connected the military with the administration, you know?...And I guess I just thought there was a sort of innocence, or like a non-choice--and it's very clear that there is a choice in it, and that it's actually a pretty extraordinary place. Just being near the people who have been involved in the military...Just what I learned from that and how it made me realize things about myself...[I gained] a profound respect in the end. And I think it's a shock to my mother, [laughs] who has her own judgements. And I think rightfully so, as everybody should, and does.
Sam said you lost a tooth during filming. How did that happen?
Well, the day that I lost my tooth was a really interesting day. The scene was the scene in the tent where I put the rifle up to my mouth. And I asked Brian [Geraghty], in one of the last takes, if he could not hold the rifle so tight. He was really holding onto it tight, and I really had to pull at him to get the rifle. And it just went into my mouth when I pulled it. And I remember I looked down, and I saw that my tooth had like come off. I had it in like my hand. And I thought to myself, "I could stop the scene or I could keep going. And I should probably keep going." And Sam had told me before we did the take, "Think about boot camp in this take. Let's just think about boot camp." And so I, for some reason, just started hitting him, and I just got so angry that he had chipped my tooth. And I just started hitting him. And we didn't talk for like a month, actually, after that. It's actually a testament to Brian because Brian is nothing like the character he plays. He's just amazing in that scene.
Did you meet with Jarhead author Tony Swofford to get a feel for how to play him in the movie?
I thought I didn't really want to meet him. I was terrified that I was going to realize--and I did when I met him--that I'm nothing like him. And I was thinking so many other actors look like him, and I don't look like him. And when we met...Sam really like popped it on me. And we went to lunch, and I couldn't say a word. [It] was like a panic attack immediately. We had been rehearsing for like two weeks, and I was just getting into a rhythm of like, "Cool, I'm figuring this out." And then it was like, [breathes deeply] "I'm nothing like him." But it was a very conscious choice...I wanted to present the closest thing to me as I could, and I didn't want to wear a mask or try and imitate somebody.
Can psychological problems be as great an enemy as gunfire to a solider?
I think a soldier's mind is as great of an enemy in the field as bombs or bullets. I think that's probably what I feel like the movie is about--that when you use these techniques and you teach someone and you harness a period of time or an instinct in them, and then they're not allowed to express that, the mind is confused by that.
What do you think about the Oscar buzz surrounding your performances in both Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain?
There's a lot of talk about things like that when you're working with a director like Ang Lee, or when you're working with a director like Sam Mendes, because they are inevitably two Oscar-winning directors. When you're working with Jamie Foxx, when you're working with Chris Cooper...it's inevitable that people attach those things to those projects. But for me, I feel like all that I have really, as an actor, is the process...Both Sam and Ang have changed my life regardless of the result of any of these films. The processes of both movies have changed my life, and that's what I take away with me. And everything else is just fun. [laughs] And is a laugh, sometimes. And feeds the ego.
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