To say Jake Gyllenhaal is one of our finest working actors is surely understating things. From BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN to PRISONERS to NIGHTCRAWLER, he's firmly established himself as one of those thespians who's willing to go anywhere and do anything for his craft. Things are no different in DEMOLITION, in which he plays Davis Mitchell, an emotionally closed-off man who loses his wife in a terrible car wreck. In the aftermath, he loses control; tossing aside almost all of his inhibitions and commencing to break down everything in his life. He's another challenging character for the actor, and one who – once we get to know him – seems like he couldn't be played by anyone else.
In the following interview, I speak to Gyllenhaal about these intense characters he plays and what it does to him, whether or not he relates to Davis Mitchell at all, and what advice he imparted to the charismatic young actor (Judah Lewis) who plays his new friend in the film.
As mentioned in the Jake Gyllenhaal interview, Jake is joined in DEMOLITION by a very talented young actor named Judah Lewis. This being one of his first films, it's especially impressive that Judah holds his own against the likes of Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts (who plays Judah's mother), and one gets the sense this is just the first in a long string of exciting parts for the teenager. We talked about how he got the role in DEMOLITION, what kind of relationship he had with Jake on the set, whether or not acting is what he's always wanted to do and what his dream role might be.