Dame Judi Dench may have hit the headlines at the cover star of this month’s British Vogue – at 85, she’s the oldest woman ever to do so – however, it’s an interview with another A-list star in the magazine that’s piqued our interest.
Jake Gyllenhaal chats to Olivia Marks in the latest edition of the magazine. The interview was done before the current Covid-19 resections had been applied, when the Hollywood star was set to appear in a stage show in London this summer.
There is, of course, plenty of interesting discussion in the full interview, which you can read here, as well as some black and white portraits of Jake that are more than a little bit dreamy.
But here are three of the points from the encounter that we found the most interesting and, frankly, endearing…
1. He takes his tea seriously
At the beginning of the interview, which took place in New York, Jake is depicted as making a cup of tea for himself and the interviewer on set at a photoshoot. We learn a lot about Jake through this act.
We learn that he takes two teabags. We learn that he likes British tea brands – in this case it’s PG Tips, but he prefers Yorkshire Gold. And we learn that he doesn’t take milk.
As people who also take their tea very seriously, we feel that this is to be applauded. In fact, we’re already picturing Jake making many, many cups of tea for us. We’re picturing him popping on the kettle without even being asked. We’re picturing him squeezing out the used teabag and putting it in the bin and not the sink. We’re picturing him giving us the good mug (you know, the curved one that holds loads of liquid).
Granted, two teabags is a little strong for our tastes, but he’d definitely only need one if it was Barry’s. And, no, we don’t take milk either.
2. He loves to sing
Moody, broody Jake Gyllenhaal is not the kind of person you’d think would love musical theatre, but it transpires that the owner of piercing blue eyes loves nothing more than to burst into song. In fact, the London show he was due to appear in this summer was a Stephen Sondheim musical, Sunday in the Park with George.
“I do love acting in movies and I have had great luck,” he tells Vogue, “but really I feel at home when I’m acting and singing simultaneously.”
As people who also take their musical theatre very seriously, we feel that this is to be applauded. We’re now picturing Jake belting out a selection of Wicked favourites while he makes the tea.
3. He cries when he thinks of his best friends
Over the course of the interview we learn that Jake is the epitome of the modern man. He was raised in a strongly feminist environment and that he’s very close to all of his family. He has a sensitive disposition and he’s proud of it. He’s stepped back from concentrating on work and has “turned to love”. He wants to have children.
We also hear that his male friendships are very important to him. He’s still close to friends from school as well as the like son Ryan Reynolds and Tom Sturridge. In fact, so important is the support for his friends that he gets teary when the interviewer probes him on the subject. “You’re making me feel very emotional about my friends,” he says, those blue eyes welling up.
As people who have spent most of lockdown spontaneously bursting into tears, we feel that this is to be applauded. Put the kettle on Jake, and pass the tissues.
