SNL: Jake Gyllenhaal shares ‘realisation’ that made him change career path after starring in Nightcrawler

‘I should have realised it a long time ago,’ actor said

Jake Gyllenhaal has revealed the “realisation” he came to that made him change his career path after starring in Nightcrawler.

The actor returned to host Saturday Night Live for the first time in 15 years on 9 April. The last time he was on the show, he was promoting Brokeback Mountain.

Gyllenhaal acknowledged that, in the years that followed, he developed a “reputation for being this serious, intense Method actor” despite not being “good” at it.

“I remember for this movie Nightcrawler, I went to the director [Dan Gilroy] and I was like, ‘Get ready for me to lose 48 pounds and win the Oscar.’ And then a week later I was like, ‘How would you like to see an actor lose 36 pounds and win the Golden Globe?’

“Then, I showed up on set and was like, ‘You’re looking at a guy who gained 10 pounds and doesn’t care about awards.’”

Gyllenhaal said: “The truth is, I was only doing that Method because I thought that’s what you had to do to be a serious actor and I kind of forgot to have fun.”

He continued: “That’s when I realised something I should have realised a long time ago: acting is a really stupid job. It’s pretend and it’s fun and it should be filled with joy.

“Well, I’m finally embracing that joy again and that’s why I’m back standing on this stage,” he said to applause from the SNL crowd.

Jake Gyllenhaal shared realisation about acting career on ‘SNL’ (YouTube)

To prove his point, Gyllenhaal then launched into a rendition of Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me”.

Since Nightcrawler, Gyllenhaal’s credits have included Nocturnal Animals, Okja, Velvet Buzzsaw, Spider-Man: Far From Home and new Michael Bay film Ambulance.