Jake Gyllenhaal has revealed that filming intimate scenes with Jennifer Aniston was ‘torture’ and ‘mechanical.’
Gyllenhaal, 43, had breakout roles in the films October Sky and Donnie Darko.
He’s since become one of Hollywood’s most famous actors, starring in Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.
The Nightcrawler star has played some major roles over the years, however, he’s shared that some were more difficult than others.
In his early acting days, Gyllenhaal worked alongside Friends star Aniston in the romantic comedy movie The Good Girl.
It follows Justine (Aniston) who works in a discount store and is unhappy in her personal life, she meets Holden (Gyllenhaal) at work. He is young and seemingly as disaffected as she, and the two share a connection.
Gyllenhaal has since admitted it wasn’t easy working so closely with Aniston.
Gyllenhaal was asked about his experience with the Horrible Bosses actress on The Howard Stern Show.
When questioned on working with the A-lister, he responded: “Oh yeah, it was torture, yes it was. But it was also not torture.”
He continued: “Weirdly, love scenes are awkward because there are maybe 30,50 people watching it? That doesn’t turn me on.
“It’s oddly mechanical. And also it’s a dance, you’re choreographing for a camera. You can get in it but it’s like a fight scene, you have to choreograph those scenes.”
Gyllenhaal has also opened up about what made working with Aniston so difficult.
It may come as no surprise that Gyllenhaal had a huge crush on the We’re the Millers actress – numerous times and in various publications, she has been named the world’s most beautiful woman.
In an interview with People magazine, the actor shared that he didn’t develop his crush on Aniston through Friends.
“Not so much Friends, but kind of her personality from afar, and movies she was in,” he explained. “I will say, I had a crush on her for years. And working with her was not easy.”
Aniston was 33 and Gyllenhaal was in his early twenties when filming The Good Girl, so it’s no surprise his crush made his time on set somewhat awkward.
Gyllenhaal remembers exactly how the intimate scenes were filmed, revealing: “The pillow technique was used, that was just preemptive and used generally always when actually in a horizontal place in that movie.”
He added: “I think that was actually a Jennifer suggestion, she was very kind to suggest it before we began. She was like, ‘I’m putting a pillow here.’”
Entertainment Tonight spoke to Aniston about Gyllenhaal’s public crush back in 2016, to which she jokingly replied: “What do I do with that information now? What good does that do me now?
“I love that boy.”
