Jake Gyllenhaal Breaks Silence On Bullying From Ex-Girlfriend’s Fans
Jake Gyllenhaal is finally speaking out against the Taylor Swift fans who have been taking the actor to task about a song from the singer
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When Taylor Swift released the song “All Too Well” back in 2012 it was following a relationship she had with Jake Gyllenhaal, one that in the end didn’t last all that long. But in the past year, Swift has been rereleasing songs as part of a plan to own the masters to her original work. When she did this, a new cut of the song came out in two different versions, a five-minute track and then an extended 10-minute version that once again put Swift’s and Gyllenhaal’s previous relationship back in the limelight. The actor recently spoke to Esquire (via People) about his role in the song and addressed whether it was actually about him after all.
While speaking with Esquire, Jake Gyllenhaal addressed the Taylor Swift song and his relationship with the singer. He said, among other things, “It has nothing to do with me. It’s about her relationship with her fans. It is her expression. Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don’t begrudge anyone that.” He also mentioned that he hadn’t listened to the album at all but did go on to comment about the state of fandom and the wild speculation that comes along with higher-profile relationships, especially ones like the two of these guys had in the past. Part of it was a philosophical riff on divisiveness and how we are increasingly living in a world that is set up along ideological lines. This was likely in response to supporters of Swift reacting negatively towards Gyllenhaal in light of their interpretation of the song lyrics.
It is worth noting that Swift herself never formally stated that the song was about Jake Gyllenhaal in particular. Though that didn’t stop fans from making the speculation, especially around lines like “I left my scarf at your sister’s house” which was thought to be a reference to a time she visited Jake’s sister Maggie Gyllenhaal. This reference, for some, was enough to make the connection about their relationship. The re-release of the song was also turned into a 15-minutes short “film” that depicted a rocky relationship.
For Jake Gyllenhaal, the issue around the Taylor Swift song and lyrics don’t appear to be a sticking point for the actor, something that doesn’t seem to register as all that important. And maybe that’s the point in moving on from any fan speculation. He doesn’t think the song is about him and that’s that.
The actor has a busy coming up with a number of higher-profile films set to hit the big screen. One will be the Michael Bay-directed Ambulance which stars Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen as bank robbers who get caught up in a high-speed chase across Los Angeles. They are in the aforementioned ambulance which also just happens to have a dying police officer and EMT (Eiza Gonzalez) on board. The flick looks fully Michael Bay-ed with tons of explosions, massive set pieces, and more than a few ridiculous stunts that should wrap up into a pretty entertaining film.
Also on tap for Jake Gyllenhaal is Guy Ritchie’s The Interpreter which will focus on soldiers in the last tour of Afghanistan. And then there will be Rawson Marshall Thurber’s The Division which will focus on a pandemic-like scenario and the team trying to save the world. So it’s a busy time, and good to know that Gyllenhaal isn’t focused on silly relationships of the past.
