I Finally Met Jake through His Ultimate Watcher(s)

Very few people have noticed that the way I admire actors, or artists in general, is by following their works. Sure, once in a while I do collect pictures and read articles from the net, but that will stop at one point cause I'm a lazy surfer. I'm not really into chasing autographs or snapping pictures together with the actors (that is too difficult to get anyway, so why bother?). I don't give a damn about their personal lives as much as I don't like people nosing on mine (and bless some actors that made it to my list, they're men of privacy). I despise infotainment. I have a very strong ignorance on gossips. I'm the one who can meet celebrities eye to eye and pull an act like I'm not the one who should give any recognition. (Hey, you want to be recognized, please introduce yourself to me).

I value artists only by their works. I chase their movies as many as it's available, and watch them in repeat viewings. I go to their live performances, mostly it's free but I don't mind paying for reasonable admission fees. I do join some fan community, but my purpose is to get insight on the projects. I write reviews or coverage for the sake of my own memoirs, but I have no fear to share, including negative comments, right into the heart of the community (well, sometimes someone needs to bring some senses. I never care if they take those comments personally or not, they shouldn't. As if I care they ever read any of it). I praise easily too, I'm not all negatives.

I mostly am a silent observer. I rarely show my Fan-O-Meter. I love admiring people from a far and below the radar, it's the only way I think I can give them fair judgments and this can make me stay longer. I can be a fan, but all that takes me to be a huge fan is how good they represent their works to me. Constantly.

I'm also known for my unusual taste in terms of favorite actors, since I tend to choose obscurities. It doesn't surprise me anymore to hear people go "Huh?" or "Who?", or just rolling their eyes whenever I mention some actors' names. This apply to Jake Gyllenhaal among all.

And he's not helping either, he has a surname difficult to pronounce and to spell (click here for "tutorial"). So far I've heard only one of my family members who could say it correctly just by single look at Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time DVD cover. *sigh*. Life would be much simpler if the name's Brad Pitt.

Quoted from a Moonlight Mile review:

I find Jake Gyllenhaal to be about the most likable guy in the industry today. He plays all of the out-there, mixed up type characters; but somehow still seems to be one of the kindest of individuals. [.....] by his cover Jake looks like he would be one of the worst actors on the planet, he has messy hair, a rumpled face, and a lazy look to him; but he really is one of the best new-comers to the business.

That should be enough to validate his existence. What else in there to say? He can act, and despite of his rumpled face, he's absolutely adorable. He's a package of irresistible dark chocolates. So I did the routines since Bubble Boy, skipping here and there (man, his filmography is almost way outta my league), until I stopped at Rendition. It stopped merely because he stopped feeding me with his works. It was Prince of Persia that brought him back the second time, and I got carried away. I'd been digging deeper, the way I'd never done before, to catch up with what I've missed. It's obviously different this time.

Then .. I found myself opening a Pandora Box in the form of this book.

The book is a clarification of everything I've experienced as a blogger, a fan and a friend of some loyal community who worship celebrities like there are no others in this universe. It's amusing and frightening at the same time, how I see myself reflected in it. The way the author described the blogging process; when one blog was not enough and how creating/designing a blog seemed much more interesting than filling it in. The way it pointed out the difference between writing for self and writing for others, no matter how interesting or boring the material was. It was all so true. Been there, done that.

I have anticipated what's the book gonna say about the celebrity, the fans and everyone else included in the loop. I've seen people change once stardom strikes. I've witnessed the reality behind deceptive public appearances. I know some celebrities who are terrified (!), insecure and uncomfortable among their own fans. From time to time I hear how far fans (some I know personally) would go for their stars, with or without agenda. Sometimes I'm disgusted, yet amazed to see how PR or publicists work in creating such a persona and images that people - us, the fans - can accept. They manipulate us to see only from one side of the coin. And we gladly accept it, because it will be our fantasy. And for some of us, it's all we want to see.

I've known all these things. Nevertheless, I'm still taken aback by the honesty and hostility it's described in the book. It's a truth-telling about fantasy reveals its naked face, that nothing's always exactly what it seems. It showed the consequences of reaching out to the nearly impossible, which happened to be Jake Gyllenhaal. And his family. And his dogs. (God!)

I won't say the book has crashed or changed all my fantasies of Jake. It gives impacts, yes, it's what good books do. There's no denial. It forces me to look back to where I stood before. To the place of me being a huge fan without even bothering all those craps. The author reminds me of myself sending out those negative comments, bringing me into my senses. And to suggest my reason to write should be for no one else but me. It's a wise book to read and to learn from. It doesn't preach. I love it.

But deep inside I still wish I'd never gone this far. Jake, I'm not gonna change my mind thinking you're brilliant, but you got a LOT to make up. Let's start over with the upcoming Love & Other Drugs. It has better be good, Jake. I mean it!



"This character is stupid, who can we cast? Well. Jake Gyllenhaal."
(Jake Gyllenhaal on playing mostly flawed characters, quoted from The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos).


*Note: This is a personal interpretation on I'm Stalking Jake!. Others' may vary.