- Jake was first inspired to become an actor by watching Ed Wood, Tim Burton's 1994 biopic starring Johnny Depp.
- Jake drove his Jarhead co-star, Peter Sarsgaard crazy because he kept playing the same U2 and 50 Cent song (Candy Shop) over and over again.
- Jake was personally approved by the football legend, Joe Namath, to play him in an upcoming biopic.
- Jake loves to watch Food Network shows like, Molto Mario and Iron Chef.
- Jake Gyllenhaal has a production company called Nine Stories.
- Jake's favorite color is green.
- Jake was invited to join AMPAS in 2006. The AMPAS stands for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is the organization that presents the Oscars.
- Jake had his Bar Mitzvah party at a homeless shelter, something his parents encouraged to help him recognize how privileged his own childhood had been.
- Like all Gyllenhaals on the male line, he is a Swedish nobleman by birth right and is listed in the Swedish Almanac of Nobility ("Sveriges Ridderskaps och Adels Kalender" in Swedish).
- The hat worn by Jake for his role as 'Jack Twist' in the film, Brokeback Mountain, was sold for $12,800 on eBay. The proceeds from the sale went to a children's charity that helps abused and neglected kids.
- Jake graduated from Harvard-Westlake High School in 1998. He then spent two years at Columbia University. One of his professors was Robert Thurman, Uma Thurman's father. Jake went to elementary school with band members of music group Maroon 5, whom he is still friends with today.
- Jake's favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. He named his dogs after the characters Atticus and Boo.
- Jake's first "love scene" was in the movie The Good Girl, with Jennifer Aniston. He lists Jennifer Aniston as his best on-screen kiss.
- Singer Alex Greenwald lists Jake in his thank you's on Phantom Planet's album The Guest.
- Jake and Heath Ledger became fast friends while filming Brokeback Mountain together, with Jake becoming the godfather to co-stars Heath and Michelle Williams' daughter Matilda.
- Jake had to gain five pounds of muscles for his role in Jarhead. He eventually had to lose it for his role in Zodiac.
- Jake has sold one of the shirts he wore in Brokeback Mountain on Ebay for charity. The bidding went from $9.99 to $101,000. He plans to donate the proceeds to a California children charity.
- Jake was awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for being the Best Suporting Actor (2006), for his role in Brokeback Mountain.
- Jake is a practicing Buddhist.
- Jake's first car was a 1990 maroon Volvo. His first driving lesson was given by Paul Newman.
- Jake was nominated for an "Independent Spirit Award" for his role in Donnie Darko.
- Jake campaigned for Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Election.
- Jake's theater debut was in London, England in This Is Our Youth. For his role, Jake received an Evening Standard Theater Award in the category of "Outstanding Newcomer" in 2002.
- Jake enjoys surfing.
- Jake is six feet tall.
- Jake's Family
Sister: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Father: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Mother: Naomi Foner
Godmother: Jamie Lee Curtis
Godfather: Paul Newman
- Jake has appeared on the following lists:
People magazine
2007 - #14 "Sexiest Men Alive"
2006 - #9 "50 Most Beautiful People"
2006 - #11 "Hottest Bachelors"
2004 - #5 "50 Hottest Bachelors "
AfterElton.com
2008 - #1 "Hot 100 gay icons"
2007 - #1 "Hot 100 gay icons"
Premiere magazine
2006 - #48 "Power 50"
- Jake: Don't listen to what anybody says except the people who encourage you. If it's what you want to do and it's within yourself, then keep going and try to do it for the rest of your life.
- Jake: (believing everyone is a potential serial killer, including himself) The idea of a serial killer is whatever we fear within ourselves. It's our own psyche, in a way. To me, the serial killer is obsession, and to me the serial killer is aspects of people's personalities that they don't want to deal with or that they indulge so much that it is dangerous.
- Jake: (on advice to those who want to act) Chris Cooper once told me to never have any regrets. After Chris said that to me, I [now] walk into every scene thinking, 'exhaust every possibility.' Once you get to a certain place, it's like you just deliver everything you've got. Don't have any regrets. It pops up in my mind over and over and over again.
- Jake: (on filming a gay love scene with Heath Ledger) Heath almost broke my nose in [a kissing] scene. He grabs me and he slams me up against the wall and kisses me. And then I grab him and I slam him up against the wall and I kiss him. And we were doing take after take after take. I got the s--- beat out of me.
- Jake: (on his Brokeback Mountain co-stars Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams) [jokingly] Heath Ledger and I made love... and they got a baby out of it!
- Jake: (on how he got in shape for Jarhead) For a month I did a crazy circuit: running five miles, swimming for 20 minutes, riding a bike for 35 miles, and lifting weights without resting. Then we went to boot camp. On-set we would all work out together and do push-ups between scenes.
- Jake: (on his choice of roles) Frankly you don't say no to Ang Lee and you don't say no to Sam Mendes, and you beg both of them no matter what you're doing in either of the movies. Whether you're wearing a Santa cap over your d**k or whether you're making love to Heath Ledger. You just don't say no to them, that was why.
- Jake: (being asked if he was scared to play a bisexual man in Brokeback Mountain) I'm in the business of helping stories get told, and I love this story. People don't say to me, When you were in Proof, were you afraid to play a mathematician? Or, Was it scary to play a Marine in Jarhead? Why is that?
- Jake: Even as an actor, I think like a storyteller. My parents raised us to look at the script.
