Jake Gyllenhaal Shares His Thoughts On Gay Love, “How Far We’ve Come”

Jake Gyllenhaal may look a bit menacing as a scarred-up boxer in his new film Southpaw, but behind that beefed up exterior is the same softie we’ve been quietly (or not so quietly) man-crushing on for over a decade.

And speaking of a decade, it’s been ten years — can you believe it?! — since the release of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.

Speaking to BET recently, Gyllenhaal was asked if he thought the landscape has changed for actors playing gay since then:

“Oh definitely it’s changed. I think playing a role and living a life are two very different things. I think telling stories, and all different stories, is what makes acting so great. It’s why I was really proud of Brokeback Mountain and everything it had to say. And it was an interesting journey to go on to learn about that world.”

Related: Brokeback Mountain Author Wishes She’d Never Written The Story

How about we take this to the next level?

Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.

Daily

Weekly

Promotions and Partner Emails

And how does Jake feel about the recent national movement on marriage equality?

“When I heard about the news I thought, wow, how far we’ve come in a decade. And how far we have to go in so many things. But I think hopefully something like that in terms of—the resistance of society and seeing that it’s possible to change was such an amazing thing. I remember thinking, my mom sent me the decision.

“And how it was written, I thought it was so beautiful. And she said it’s all about love. My brother said to me a few weeks ago, all we leave behind is the wake of our live, that’s all we have. And to know that that wins out sometimes is an inspiration to me.”

#lovewins #welovejake