The actor talks becoming a boxer and exploring his rage for his new film.
You went from looking pretty skeletal in Nightcrawler to this.
What was that process like for you, physically?
Jake Gyllenhaal:I didNightcrawler, then I didEverest, and then I didSouthpaw.
We shot a majority ofEverestin the Dolomites on the Austrian/Italian border.
So there was a lot of really good pasta.
So, I finishedNightcrawlerand then I went into that, and then the training started forSouthpaw.
I figured if I trained twice a day over five months thatd make 10 months.
He wanted to shoot like an HBO/Showtime fight where hes going to have the real cameramen there.
It was going to be medium shots and full body shots where you are going to see footwork.
Im going to be moving around.
Not just going to shoot from one side and cut.
Weve seen it so many times.
You cant fake it anymore like that.
You have to do it that way.
And short of hiring a boxer who can act, I had to become an actor who could box.
That was basically the discussion we had.
So, every day I just went and I was just always going crazy.
I would spend sometimes the mornings just working on technique.
I mean I remember days upon days when we were just working on my jab.
And then hed hit me, back up, back up.
Hours upon hours of that.
And then we would condition.
And then we would do mitt work.
Every single aspect of the training regimen of boxing takes a separate technique.
You cant just hit a heavy bag.
Then wed go do mitts.
So that was five months of that all the time.
You seem to gravitate towards darker roles.
Would you say that is true?
And if so, why is that?
I dont know if I do.
I mean I have recently, I think.
Maybe Ive been in a place where those are just the things that have touched me.
I want it to have weight.
And if I were to do a comedy, Id want it to not have a darker substance.
Im looking for a certain bang out for intelligence and entertainment.
I just seem to have found it in this space.
Thats essentially a comedy.
Its a dark comedy, but its a comedy.
I dont know what people call that.
To me its not really about whether something is funny.
Its just whether Im moved by it.
What was your mental process for this one?
And I was interested in kind of exploring my own rage.
So, at first, when I was training…I was in exploration, right?
I was looking for motivating things.
In boxing, I thought, OK.
If I start off, I go hard.
If I go hard, I can get angry.
If I go hard, thats going to give me the fuel I need.
Put on that hardcore music.
That will give me the fuel I need.
Then Id get exhausted so quick.
Id be like, Wait.
All of a sudden, I started to realize technique, sort of meditation, a relaxation.
That was a motivating factor in this one.
Would you say that when you take on roles like this that theres a cathartic aspect?
There can be, yes.
Within the five months preparing for this movie it was interesting being curious about my own anger.
I think feelings are so important.
But I think how we act on them is a delicate, dangerous thing.
Miguel Gomez said he was surprised how spiritual the whole boxing world was.
Did you find that as well?
I think its a communication at a very high level.
And when you see a fight at a professional level thats what I see now.
Thats a science, and I think thats also incredibly spiritual, yes.
Talk about that a little bit.
Its funny, because you are making a movie and you are at each other.
It was a decision that we had made.
When fighters walk into a ring, its interesting.
That means you are going to get hit.
You are going to get hurt.
If that happens, its not the other persons fault.
We both made a decision early on.
It was me saying to her, Guess what?
I made the decision to be here.
So I know what this scene is about.
And you know what this scene is about.
So you are not hurting me.
All were doing is helping this movie.
That was always the feeling.
And, you know, we got hit.
But I have to say, Oona throws a hard right hand.
(laughs)
Southpawis in theaters Friday (July 24).
