Maggie Gyllenhaal
All it took was the right role for devoted mum Maggie Gyllenhaal to return to the screen, writes Donna Walker-Mitchell.
Maggie Gyllenhaal knew it was time to make some changes in her life.
At home in Brooklyn with her daughter Ramona, Gyllenhaal, 32, recalls the day when, as she puts it, "something clicked".
"My daughter was about 16 months old and at that stage I thought: 'I need to do something for me,'" she tells S.
That something was getting back into acting and when she saw the script for the compelling drama Crazy Heart - opposite Jeff Bridges, who is now widely tipped to win the best actor Oscar - she didn't hesitate for a second.
"I knew this was the film I should do," says Gyllenhaal, whose performance has also earned her first Oscar nomination for best supporting actress after a string of acclaimed performances in films including Donnie Darko, Secretary, SherryBaby and The Dark Knight.
In Crazy Heart, Gyllenhaal plays a journalist who is new to the game and keen to impress at her local newspaper.
Her character, Jean, asks washed-up country singer Bad Blake, played by Bridges, for an interview. During their time together, the single mother, who has a four-year-old son, falls for the alcoholic Blake.
Gyllenhaal says she empathised with her character's struggle with juggling motherhood, work and love.
"That's one of the things I loved most about my character. I have not in any way mastered how to be a mother and work," she laughs. "When I ask others about it, I don't think it's anything you can master. It's a complicated thing and it will always be pushing you in a couple of directions."
Not that Gyllenhaal is complaining.
She lives in the family-friendly area of Prospect Park in Brooklyn with her husband, actor Peter Sarsgaard, and their daughter. Whether it's strolling to bookstores, the natural food co-op or the eclectic mix of cafes in the area, Gyllenhaal say it's a lifestyle that suits her family perfectly.
"We love it there," she says. "When we want to go into the city, we just hop on the subway and are there in 15 minutes but we love that Brooklyn has a slightly more relaxed feel than being in the city."
As for going on the subway, Gyllenhaal laughs when asked if anyone takes a second look at her and her family.
"Not really. Only occasionally," she says. "New Yorkers have a thing where it's rare if somebody breaks the barrier completely.
"It only happens once in a while. Usually they're reading their book or listening to their iPod. Everyone has their own lives and I think especially on the subway, it's hypnotic, right? People just want to sit there and space out."
Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard married at a chapel in the Italian city of Brindisi last May, having been together since 2002.
Sarsgaard says of their decision to marry: "We thought it was important as a family to have said that you're going to be together forever through anything. I took my time to get to it because we've been together for eight years and I think marriage can be an overused institution. But for us, it was significant.
"Especially when you have a child, it's nice for them to have that feeling, to know that everything will always be the same."
Since having Ramona, Gyllenhaal explains how the couple has made it work. When one has a job, the other stays home and vice versa. If that means missing out on a dream project, so be it.
"It's all about how we can keep our family together as much as possible," she says.
She laughs at the idea that the couple, who have been critically acclaimed this year for their performances (hers in Crazy Heart, his in An Education), leads a glamorous life.
"You know what?" she says. "It's different when you have a family because no matter what is going on in your work you go home and you still have to get some kind of dinner on the table, bathe your child, read them two books and put them to bed. No. Matter. What."
It's little wonder Gyllenhaal is not swept away by the Hollywood life. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal, her mother is screenwriter Naomi Foner and her brother, Jake, followed in his sister's acting footsteps.
Not that the thought of an Oscar doesn't impress, though.
"Oh, I love the whole awards thing," she says enthusiastically.
"I'm perfectly happy to accept one. If people want to give them to me, I'll take 'em," she laughs.
After watching her husband in An Education, Gyllenhaal was so impressed she told him she thought he may get nominated for his work, along with his cast mates.
"When I told him, he looked at me and said: 'Please, let's not even talk about it.' ... If you end up getting all swept away, you'll go crazy."
So what did she do? "I just got on with cooking dinner," she smiles.
Crazy Heart opens on February 18.
FIFTH TIME LUCKY?
"Do you think it will happen?" Jeff Bridges asks. The 60-year-old actor is, of course, referring to whether he will finally win an Oscar after his fifth nomination.
"Wouldn't that be great? I'm loving people are suggesting it could happen but I think one of the best things is it will bring attention to this film."
That film is Crazy Heart, a drama starring Bridges as down-on-his-luck country singer Bad Blake, who falls for Maggie Gyllenhaal's character, Jean Craddock, a journalist who interviews the alcoholic former star.
Despite the heaviness of the subject, Bridges says Crazy Heart was a joy to make. "Oh yeah," he laughs. "I can't think of a film I've had more fun on because Maggie and I just had a ball."
However, it certainly wasn't the first time out for Bridges.
His career spans almost 40 years with films such as The Big Lebowski, The Contender and Iron Man.
He has been nominated for best supporting actor three times and best actor twice at the Oscars.
Many industry insiders feel he has a lock on taking home the statue this year.
"I hope they're right," he laughs. "If not, I had fun making it."
Fun because Bridges got to eat and drink what he liked in preparation for the role.
"When I was playing Bad, I'd eat whatever I wanted," he says. "I had a lot of guacamole and chips. Usually I don't like to eat salt because it makes you all puffy but with Bad, you want that. It's like internal make-up.
"Some days I was maybe a little hung-over. It was a double-edged sword, though, because sure you have fun doing that but you don't feel so good the next day." DWM
NOTES
Maggie Gyllenhaal's blue eyes light up as soon as she looks out of the large windows and spies the waves crashing near the famous Santa Monica Pier.
"You know what? We should be doing this interview outside," smiles the New York native. "It's freezing back home in Brooklyn right now." Sunny weather and picturesque outlook aside, our interview stayed inside the Casa Del Mar hotel. "Not a bad place though, is it?" Gyllenhaal says looking around at our opulent surrounds. "I think we're going to be just fine."
SOURCE: The Sun-Herald
