Jake Gyllenhaal has a big regret in his great career. You have an idea ? Hint: it’s a role in a video game adaptation that was very coldly received by the public and critics.
In 2010, Jake Gyllenhaal starred in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the big-screen adaptation of the cult video game. A big Disney production that should have allowed the actor to achieve great success. Alas, the film, accused of “whitewashing” (the main role is given to a white American instead of a person of Iranian origin), was a fairly substantial flop, very freshly received by critics, and which would have could sink Gyllenhaal’s career.
In 2019, at the microphone of Yahoo Entertainmentthe actor returned to this difficult experience and did not deny that it was a misstep in his career. “I think this film taught me a lot about one thing: you have to spend a lot of time thinking about the roles you choose, and why you choose them”, he said. The failure of Prince of Persia was therefore a blessing in disguise in the eyes of the actor.
“Sometimes you mess up and think, ‘That wasn’t good for me’ or ‘That just wasn’t right for me'”continued Gyllenhaal. “There are a number of roles like that. And a number of roles where it works.”
Thought by Disney to be the start of a big adventure franchise and to follow in the footsteps of Pirates of the Caribbean, Prince of Persia only brought in $336 million in revenue worldwide. The actor will take almost a decade to return to major productions with Spider-Man: Far From Home, in which he plays the villainous Mysterio. One of these roles “where it works.”
A making-of of “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”: