It’s no secret that Jake Gyllenhaal’s Oscar snub for his performance in 2014’s Nightcrawler was considered by many as an atrocious crime, but the fact that the actor has only received one nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain is even more appalling.
No one, indeed, has any explanation for why the Oscars so actively avoids Gyllenhaal and his incredible body of works. He is one of the most prolific stars of this generation, yet he is still in the league of the most snubbed actors of all time.
Jake Gyllenhaal Starved Himself For Nightcrawler
The world of Nightcrawler is found in Los Angeles at night, where stringers go out to film accidents and crime scenes and sell them to the local news. Jake Gyllenhaal’s character, Louis Bloom, becomes the symbol that draws the line between unethical journalism and consumer demand.
Speaking on The Howard Stern Show, actor Jake Gyllenhaal talked about why he was attracted to the project in the first place and what came to his mind the moment he met the character.
“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.”
Indeed, the Prisoners actor went under extreme body transformation to capture the physicality of a hungry journalist. He lost 35 pounds, his cheeks had sunken, and his eyes bulged out, all for a role. It took him a few months; ate less and ran more. At a certain point, he ran for 15 miles a day.
On top of his dramatic weight loss, Gyllenhaal embodied Louis Bloom like he was born to play the part. He did an outstanding performance capturing the grit and greed for glory. In the end, the Oscars did not pay attention to his efforts.
Jake Gyllenhaal Doesn’t Care For The Oscars
Up to this day, no one holds the answer as to why Gyllenhaal never got even a nomination for Nightcrawler. Matthew S. Robinson expressed his dismay on Twitter:
“Still don’t understand how Nightcrawler didn’t get Jake Gyllenhaal a Best Actor nomination. No explanation has ever made sense and his omission has aged terribly.”
There is indeed a unanimous sentiment about his Oscar snub, though the 43-year-old actor admitted he does not really care about movie accolades. He once shared on Saturday Night Live via Independent.
“I remember for this movie Nightcrawler, I went to the director [Dan Gilroy] and I was like, ‘Get ready for me to lose 48 pounds and win the Oscar.’ And then a week later I was like, ‘How would you like to see an actor lose 36 pounds and win the Golden Globe?’ Then, I showed up on set and was like, ‘You’re looking at a guy who gained 10 pounds and doesn’t care about awards.’ ”
Regardless, the majority of fans still think Gyllenhaal should have been recognized by the award-giving body.
Nightcrawler is available to watch via Netflix.
