Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal are one of the most famous Hollywood siblings, but fans are still surprised to learn that they are related.
In a new interview with New York Times released on February 28, the Oscar-nominated actress opened up about reuniting with her on-screen younger brother for her upcoming second directorial venture, The bride – marking their first time sharing the screen in over two decades.
“I remember asking him and tearing up alone in this hotel room I was in because it meant so much to me. It meant so much to me to interact with him,” Maggie, 48, recalled, noting that for years she had been focused on carving her own path “separately” from her famous family.
“We’ve never been estranged,” Maggie said of the Marvel star, “but we’ve never been as close as we are now. We’re finally, maybe in the last five years, more and more and more, even every day, really interacting…”
Both siblings began acting as children in the early ’90s with supporting roles in their father’s films, and the last time they worked together was on the 2001 thriller Donnie Darko. Jake, now 45, quickly landed leading roles in films such as October sky – something Maggie now admits induced feelings of “envy” towards her brother.
That’s why it felt “honest” and “vulnerable” to reach out to him after all these years. The Dark Knight actress told NEW“I waited until I was absolutely sure it was the right thing to ask him to do this part.”
