Jake Gyllenhaal was "terrified" filming scenes for ‘Demolition’ because director Jean-Marc Vallee refused to let the actors rehearse.
The 35-year-old star usually spends "months and months" preparing for a movie role but his acting skills were put to the test when he was asked to turn up on set without having a run-through of the script with his co-stars Naomi Watts, Heather Lind and Chris Cooper.
The actor – who plays the role of a grieving investment banker Davis Mitchell who returns to work after losing his beloved wife in a tragic car accident – said: "I usually prepare a lot, I usually spend months and months preparing for things I do.
"Jean-Marc just said ‘I just want you to show up on set’. Every time I was pressuring him for a rehearsal he was like ‘Oh I’ll just see you on set’ so as a result of that I kind of showed up in a strange kind of, numb, a little bit terrified way, in a similar way to the character."
Jean-Marc helmed biopics ‘Dallas Buyers’ Club’ and ‘Wild’ in 2013 and 2014 respectively, and Jake was attracted to the project because of his unique style of directing and the fantastic script.
He told HeyUGuys: "I connected with my director… Jean Marc’s style is not very cumbersome. It’s handheld (cameras), there’s no makeup, there’s no lighting, you come to set, you put on your wardrobe, and you’re just working 15 minutes later. And as a result, there’s the feeling of process… side swiped me, and I thought it was a totally unconventionally way of approaching a scene."
‘Demolition’ is released in cinemas on Friday (29.04.16) and also stars ‘King Kong’s’ Naomi Watts as Karen Moreno, ‘American Beauty’ star Chris Cooper as Phil, and actress Heather Lind as Julia.
Jake Gyllenhaal ‘terrified’ on set of Demolition
