First peek at Jake Gyllenhaal's "Southpaw" training: the "Brokeback Mountain" is barely recognizable.
Deadline releases first peek of Jake Gyllenhaal's "Southpaw" filming, and the actor is bulked up, unrecognizable, and battle-ready.
The actor gained 15 pounds of bulk for his role as Billy "The Great" Hope, a southpaw boxer who redeemed himself the hard way after losing everything he had in a personal tragedy.
Gyllenhaal's build is a stark opposite from his previous role as blood-thirsty paparazzi in "Nightcrawler," where he reportedly lost 25 pounds by barely eating and running 15 miles to the set.
Antoine Fuqua directs the film, and comments about Jake Gyllenhaal's "Southpaw" training. In the interview with Deadline:
"I had him training twice a day in the boxing ring, he did two-a-days seven days a week. I pretty much had him with me and my trainer every day. I took him to almost every fight. I had him train at Floyd Mayweather's gym in Vegas and we watched Floyd's fights, and the Manny Pacquiao fight. He trained in New York at Church Gym with real fighters. We literally turned him into a beast... I'm confident that this will change how people see Jake, as a leading man."
Gyllenhaal trained like an amateur to prepare for his role in the movie, and Fuqua insisted the audience will see a different person on-screen. The director even hinted the training may have caused the fallout between Gyllenhaal and his girlfriend Alyssa Miller.
"Literally, I think he broke up with his girlfriend because he was just in the gym every day. He was training like a fighter. I had him sparring, really getting hit. I put him in situations where I wanted to see what he was made of. No one but fighters understand the sacrifice it takes to be a fighter.
Two people have done this in their lives:Robert De Niro in 'Raging Bull' and Denzel Washington in 'The Hurricane.' Those kinds of guys are rare."
Rachel McAdams, Rita Ora, Forest Whitaker, and others join Jake Gyllenhaal in "Southpaw" cast; the film is pegged for a 2015 release date.
