When the heck is Jake Gyllenhaal going to star in a musical?
It's long overdue.
"You know, a musical is quite a commitment, depending if it's an original or a revival, whatever," the actor said when I chatted with him at the SXSW premiere of his new drama Demolition . "It's definitely a big chunk of time to do."
Gyllenhaal recently wowed a New York City audience when he performed "Maria" from West Side Story during a tribute to Leonard Bernstein at Lincoln Center. Over the summer, he co-starred in a three-show concert reading of Little Shop of Horrors, the 1982 Howard Ashman-Alan Menken musical about a man-eating plant.
"There's nothing that brings me more joy than being up on stage," Gyllenhaal says.
And yes, he hopes to star in a full-fledged musical sooner than later. "My heart is there," Gyllenhaal said. I love it so much. It brings me such joy."
So what's harder—singing or acting?
"They both have their challenges," Gyllenhaal said. "I'm definitely less experienced in the singing department but I love singing that is acting and vice versa."
In Demolition, he shows off his dance moves while dancing through the busy streets of New York City.
"Admittedly, I had been dreading it for awhile," Gyllenhaal said of shooting the scene. "But that's the moment I love. People say embarrassing but the door of embarrassment takes you into the land of freedom…It became so fun."
Director Jean-Marc Vallée began filming while Gyllenhaal was still riding on a subway train during typical rush hour. "We went out into New York City and it was non-stop," the Southpaw actor said. "Everyone was dripping in sweat by the time we finished. We were running around, going to construction sides. I was dancing between buses."
Demolition is in theaters on April 8.