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SINGAPORE : In all honesty, until I was told that I had to interview the man, I hadn't seen any of Jake Gyllenhaal's movies - unless you count "City Slickers" (he made his debut as Billy Crystal's son).
And there I was in chilly London, sitting in a room in The Dorchester hotel, waiting for the man.
Together with his co-stars, the charming Gemma Arterton and the brilliantly accomplished Sir Ben Kingsley, Gyllenhaal was in the British capital - on election day, no less - to talk about his latest movie, the sun-drenched action romp called "Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time".
Gyllenhaal plays the titular Prince Dastan, a street orphan taken under the wing of King Sharaman. But a devious plot is underfoot and Dastan is accused of murdering the king. Together with the spunky Princess Tamina (Arterton) he must find out who wronged him and right that, er, wrong.
Based on a video game created by Jordan Mechner, the movie is a typical Jerry Bruckheimer do: Fast-paced action interspersed with medium-paced action, with the occasional sliver of inaction, coupled with trickery, deception, treachery and a lot more action.
So what on earth is someone like Gyllenhaal doing in this film?
After all, his memorable celluloid outings were intimate, intense, emotional affairs like "Brokeback Mountain" and "Brothers" (both of which I managed to watch on the flight to London - thanks, SIA!) so I was expecting someone similar: Brooding and brimming with arty angst.
Boy, was I wrong.
Turns out, Gyllenhaal is one of the funniest guys I've met. For example, when a reporter asked about the parkour stunts he had to do in the movie, he glibly replied: "I have been studying parkour since I was a young child, so this was a perfect role for me. I've always wanted to play a prince. Some people might say that in a lot of ways, I'm more a princess, so I thought playing a prince would be fitting."
Arterton chipped in: "I took the piss out of Jake and he took the piss out of me. I mean, we're all very serious about our work, but I certainly don't take myself very seriously and Jake is the same. We had fun, and you can see that in the film."
The serious actor also told a reporter in a TV interview that he got the ridiculously buff physique you see in the movie by washing his hair: "First I grew the hair which took six months, then I would do a daily rigourous exercise of bathing three to four times a day.
"So shampooing and conditioning, not a two-in-one - that's a secret that a lot of people don't know. Shampoo really works the biceps, then triceps I worked with conditioning. It works the abs too if you keep them clenched."
Then he told the reporter, with a straight face, that his complicated last name was actually pronounced "Yill-en-hoo-la-hay".
So much for arty angst, then.
What happened to your muscles?
Nothing happened. They've always been there. They'll always be there, I hope. They're just a little smaller. And they're a lot happier with me now.
What would you change if you could travel back in time?
I don't know if I would change anything, but I would like to go back and see my birth.
Birth is a bloody occasion.
Is it? You've seen my birth? Really? But I'd also like to go back to the eight-year-old who went to see "Indiana Jones" and "The Goonies" ... as the 29-year-old I am now and tell him: "When you're 29, you're going to be playing this part that's like "Indiana Jones" and "The Goonies" and you're going to play the Prince of Persia", I'd watch his head explode.
When did you start acting?
Professionally? When I was around 12, I think. (Ed: Erm, nope. "City Slickers" was released in 1990, which would have made the December baby 10 years old.) But I started acting since my birth! That's why I want to go back and see it!
What was harder: The sword-fighting or speaking in a British accent?
No doubt speaking in a British accent was the hardest part for me. It's daunting, trying to do any service, as an American, to such a beautiful, fluid speech pattern. We are just barbarians, you know ... Particularly in front of the British press.
Would you start buffing up again if you were asked to do the sequel?
I would. Jordan (Mechner) was saying that he invented the game by taking pictures of his brothers in pyjamas jumping around. If we had the opportunity to do another one, I would want to do the prince in pyjamas. I think that would be a wonderful interpretation.
Is it hard to be a movie star?
God, man - it is so hard! You think about jobs and it's probably right up with the hardest ones around! I can read that in print now ... So please, insert the irony that's needed in that. How hard is this job? It's a great job. You could catch me on days where I'm like, "Urgh", but most days, it's good.
Your family is in show business. Was there an option not be an actor?
No, actually. There was never an option! Help me!
What movie made you want to be an actor?
There isn't a movie. I told you, I came out acting at birth. There were no movies in the womb. I was born in the atrium of a film agency. The agents pulled me out themselves! "We've got him! Ten per cent!" The agents know how to search wombs to find for talent.
What went through your mind when Jerry Bruckheimer called you to do this movie?
I asked him what it was going to be like, and he said: "You're going to have a lot of say in who your character is and what he's like." And I said I wanted to have long hair and he said: "Have you seen Nicolas Cage in all my movies?"
No, he was open to our ideas. And I think that's what made him successful. He follows what he believes is exciting. And it's not always the obvious choice. I believe that's cool ... It's pretty ballsy of him.
Were there any Spinal Tap moments making the movie?
You mean, just primarily because of my hair? Well, this isn't quite Spinal Tap, but there was a moment when I hit the cinematographer by mistake. He had a hand-held camera and I was fighting in the scene and he was like: "Get in real close." And I got too close and smacked him in the face - with a rubber sword.
Did you whistle the Indiana Jones theme?
Yeah! A couple of times! I can't really tell the difference between "Indiana Jones" and the "Star Wars" theme, though.
Would you prefer doing more action movies now?
What I prefer more and more now is a little more humour and taking myself less seriously.
But I do believe life is full of different things and variety is the spice of life, so I would love to do both kinds of movies.
With "Brokeback Mountain", I read the script and ... I was weeping when I read the end of that script. And when a script can illicit that kind of emotion ... I will not stop following whatever I am moved by.
For this movie, I read the first scene and there was this whole sense of great fun: Swinging of things, lighting stuff on fire ... All the time I kept thinking, this is so cool and so fun! I can't believe this!
Was there any reaction from the real Prince of Persia: The son of the last Shah?
I heard he wasn't really into the British accent. I'm just saying. But I don't know if it's true. They're speculating. I don't know if it really came from him.
"Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time" opens on Thursday.
- TODAY/il
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