Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jake Gyllenhaal are one of Hollywood’s most famous siblings, but fans are always surprised to learn that they are related.
In a new interview with The New York Times posted on February 28, the Oscar-nominated actress opened up about reuniting with her on-screen younger brother for her upcoming second directorial project, The bride – marking their first screen share in over two decades.
“I remember asking him and crying alone in that hotel room that I was in, because it meant so much to me. It meant so much to me to interact with him,” Maggie, 48, recalls, noting that for years she had focused on carving her own path “separate” from her famous family.
“We’ve never been apart,” Maggie said of the Marvel star, “but we’ve never been closer than we are now. We’re finally, maybe over the last five years, more and more, even every day, really interacting…”
The two siblings began acting as children in the early ’90s with supporting roles in their father’s films, and the last time they worked together was on the thriller Donnie Darko in 2001. Jake, now 45, quickly landed leading roles in films like October sky – something Maggie now admits evoked feelings of “envy” towards her brother.
Therefore, reaching out to him after all these years seemed “honest” and “vulnerable.” The Black Knight the actress said New York Times“I waited until I was absolutely sure that asking him to do this role was the right thing to do.”
