Jake Gyllenhaal became one of the most prolific actors in the 21st century after starring in several award-winning films and even blockbusters, such as Southpaw, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Brokeback Mountain.
The actor most notably appeared in the 2014 neo-noir psychological thriller movie Nightcrawler where viewers saw Gyllenhaal transform from a once athletic guy to a skinny character. His performance was lauded by viewers, though the Oscars did not seem too pleased that they snubbed him for the Best Leading Actor award.
Jake Gyllenhaal Reveals How He Lost 35 Pounds For Nightcrawler
Speaking via The Howard Stern Show, actor Jake Gyllenhaal explained why he decided to lose 35 pounds for his role in Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler:
“It’s one of the best scripts I’ve ever read. The character, when I read it on the page, I felt like if I was in the shape I’m normally in – I’m pretty athletic, and I like to be in shape – it didn’t feel right for the character to me.”
For Gyllenhaal, it did not seem convincing to see a physically fit guy for the role of Louis Bloom, a thief who has an obsession with shooting footage of crimes and accidents in Los Angeles and selling them to news channels. The actor continued:
“He was somebody who didn’t eat a lot of food because he couldn’t really afford to pay for anything, and he was always in his brain, very verbal, talking all the time, so I felt like there was something about him that I wanted to make clear and I needed to do that physically.”
When asked how he managed to lose all that weight, Gyllenhaal admitted it was not overnight work. He emphasized running as his main physical exercise:
“It wasn’t too rapid. I mean, I took some time, took a few months. I mean, you eat a lot less, and I ran and ran and ran. I would just start running. I ran like 15 miles a day at a certain point.”
It’s easy to see that Gyllenhaal was very dedicated to this project that he sacrificed his health and even his well-being for a role that was ultimately snubbed at the Oscars.
Jake Gyllenhaal Deserved An Oscar For His Performance In Nightcrawler
The public was clearly very disappointed by the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal did not take home the Best Leading Actor award at the Oscars for his performance in Nightcrawler. A fan from Reddit noted:
“Gyllenhaal shines in heady, complex parts, and Bloom was easily one of the most compelling anti-heroes we’d seen on the big screen in years, lest of all at the Oscars. Giving him the award would have been a nice nod to all the solid work Gyllenhaal has done so far, which is a lot, and also the rightful rewarding of an incredible performance in its own right.”
Nightcrawler is an indie film that tackled unethical and sensationalized journalism which also served as a commentary on society’s prevailing news media. Gyllenhaal embodied his character with a calibrated cadence in the way he spoke and moved. For an actor to give such devotion to a project definitely earns him a prestigious award.
