It's not unusual for movie stars to take their roles seriously. There are plenty of stories of actors undergoing intense transformations for roles, going method or making unusual changes in order to get into character.
Jake Gyllenhaal is no stranger to his own unusual behaviors on set, according to writer-director Thomas Bidegain, who opened up about the four days they worked together on the film Suddenly. After less than a week with the actor, the director decided to translate the script into French and film it with French actors instead.
The Nocturnal Animals actor was set to star alongside The Crown actress Vanessa Kirby in this film about a couple trapped on a lost Antarctic island. Yet as they filmed on location in Iceland, Jake's behavior reportedly made things difficult, according to Bidegain in the French publication Technikart.
As they started filming in a remote part of Iceland in 2021, Bidegain explained that instead of flying to Reykjavik, Jake decided to make a six-hour drive to Höfn, requesting a car that was "neither red nor white", with David Lindsay-Abaire, a Pulitzer Prize-winning screenwriter and playwright.
Bidegain revealed that Jake and Vanessa "read their dialogues ironically like the cartoon character Pépé le Pew", which he found "a little humiliating", explaining that "I tell myself that there is perhaps also shyness between them, that they need to tame each other."
Jake even pitched the idea of his character slapping a fish, "insisting that his character be a former GI", said the director. He also reportedly decided to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, stripping down to his underwear in front of the technical team with the justification that "when I see the sea, I swim in the sea".
Upon the discovery that the builders of the whaling base are at the hotel, Jake reportedly asked that they sleep in their cars in order to avoid the spread of COVID. When Bidegain combatted his demands, the actor opted to leave the project.
The unusual story caught the attention of many on the internet, with fans sharing their theories behind his behavior. One person commented that Jake "wanted to be fired because he realised what he was making" - a second added he was "so real for this", in reference to his desire to swim in the sea.
Another added: "Imagine a whole Jake Gyllenhaal movie in a Pepe Le Pew accent."
As the Technikart interview with Bidegain blew up, representatives from Studiocanal, who had reportedly picked up the project, and Jake Gyllenhaal responded to the director's account, claiming the project was never green-lit and their time in Iceland was all part of the film's development process.
Studiocanal told AV Club: "Creative differences are very normal, if unfortunate, regularities in film development. In this case, there were concerns which simply could not be overcome despite great efforts on both sides."
"We greatly value all our relationships at STUDIOCANAL and are happy that Thomas Bidegain was able to fulfill his vision on the French language version of SUDDENLY. We remain deeply committed to our working partnerships with both Thomas Bidegain and Jake Gyllenhaal, with whom we have always enjoyed a very strong creative relationship."