Jake Gyllenhaal’s erratic demands led to the crumbling of his Indie film, Suddenly? ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
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In 2021, Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby were signed up for an Indie film called Suddenly. Thomas Bidegain would direct the film for which he co-wrote the script with Valentine Monteil. However, the English film never happened, and Thomas went on to direct his story as a French-language film, Soudain Seals.
In an explosive interview, Thomas Bidegain revealed what really went wrong between him and Jake. Thomas shared several anecdotes that led to his fallout with Jake, which compelled him to rewrite the script in French.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Unreasonable Demands
In an interview with Technikart, Thomas Bidegain shares that he was initially happy to have Jake Gyllenhaal in his film. Initially, things went well. However, when they reached Iceland for the shoot, Jake made some demands. According to Bidegain, the Zodiac actor demanded a car that’s neither red nor white. Thomas reveals that when Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby read the script, they read the dialogues ironically, like Pepe the patois, a cartoon character. Thomas reveals it was a little humiliating, but he assumed there was shyness between the actors, and they needed to tame each other.
Further, Thomas reveals that one morning, Jake Gyllenhaal lost his temper as he didn’t know his appointment was at 9 am or 10 am. The actor made Thomas and the film’s co-writer, Valentine Monteil, rewrite the script often. The director adds that when the cast and crew at arrived at the beach, Jake decided to swim in his underwear in front of everyone. Thomas further states that the actor swam in the frozen ocean and said, “When I see the sea, I swim in the sea.” The filming was happening in 2021, during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The director adds that Gyllenhaal demanded that the set builders sleep in their cars to avoid the risk of spreading the virus.
Thomas Bidegain reveals many such instances highlighting Jake’s unreasonable demands. When things didn’t work out with Jake and Vanessa, Thomas rewrote Soudain Seals in French and cast French actors Gilles Lellouche and Melanie Laurent in the leading roles. The film was released in December 2023.
However, as per IGN, Studiocanal, the studio behind Soudain Seals, stated that creative differences are typical during film development. In a statement, the studio further said that despite the efforts, both sides couldn’t agree. The studio expressed their gratitude that Thomas Bidegain fulfilled his vision with the French language film. They further said they are highly committed to working with Thomas and Jake and have a strong creative relationship.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s team has not shared any official statement regarding the matter yet!
