Jake Gyllenhaal first came to prominence back in 1991 when he made his big-screen debut in City Slickers. Although he didn't have the biggest role, that would soon change for Jake following his success in October Sky, which catapulted the star to great heights.
Gyllenhaal later appeared in hit films including Day After Tomorrow, Brokeback Mountain, and Southpaw to name a few. Toda, the actor remains part of the MCU as Mysterio in Spider-Man, alongside Peter Parker himself, Tom Holland.
While Jake has undergone immense training as an actor, nothing comes close to his transformation for his role as Lou Bloom in Nightcrawler. The actor had to undergo some extreme measures to fit the part, and here's exactly what he did!
Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Nightcrawler' Transformation
When it comes to taking on a new role, it is no secret that many actors get into a certain state of mind in order to properly channel the character they are portraying.
We have seen it with Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, Charlize Theron in Monster, and we've seen it with Jake Gyllenhaal in his 2014 film, Nightcrawler.
The film went on to be quite the success, scoring itself a Best Screenplay nomination at the 2015 Academy Awards and a handful of Indie Spirit nominations and wins. Gyllenhaal, who took on the role of Lou Bloom, a freelancer hoping to make big money selling disturbing video footage to the local news, brought complete life to the movie.
The actor has taken on an array of high-profile roles in the past, including his appearances in Southpaw and Brokeback Mountain, two critically acclaimed films of Jake's, however, his time playing Lou Bloom was one that required an extreme amount of preparation.
Gyllenhaal took it upon himself to step into Lou Bloom's shoes for when filming commenced, and that's when the transformation began.
The Nightcrawler star wanted his character to appear as a nocturnal creature, as he worked mainly at night time. "I wanted him to look like a coyote ... In order to that, I had to look hungry and be hungry," Jake said during the film's press tour.
So, when it came to looking and being hungry, Jake trained himself to do and be just that! The actor lost a whopping 30 pounds by putting himself on the strictest of diets, which included eating kale salads and running 10-mile loops regularly, reports The Take.
Jake didn't stop there! Bloom, who comes off as sinister at times, masters the art of snagging newsworthy footage, so Gyllenhaal and the film's director, Dan Gilroy, spent time night-crawling with real-life news stringer, Howard Raishbrook.
Raishbrook has practically been living the life of Gyllenhaal's on-screen character for nearly 20 years in Los Angeles, making him the perfect person to mirror. In fact, Howard actually worked as a technical advisor on the film!
The actor also solely thrifted his clothes, all while venturing off onto an "inspirational hunt" at nighttime. In addition to working alongside Howard Raishbrook, Jake also hitched rides with on-duty paparazzi, to really explore the "hunt" when it comes to getting the money shot.
Jake has just wrapped up his latest project, The Guilty, all while being weeks away from closing on his most recent role in the film, Ambulance, which is set to release in 2022.
