He's the sexiest swashbuckler to hit Hollywood since Errol Flynn. But "Prince of Persia's" Jake Gyllenhaal says there's more to behold in Disney's 3-D sand-and-sword epic than his jaw-dropping new physique.
Gyllenhaal does not take himself too seriously -- or his "Prince of Persia" six-pack.
"My abs make me who I am. That and the hair," he laughs wryly before reporters at Toronto's Windsor Arm's hotel.
Gyllenhaal jokes. He plays. He talks mischievously about his bad eyesight and downing Gummy Bears (a training no-no) while shooting Disney's sprawling new epic, "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time."
You watch. You listen. And then you ask, "Is this the same guy from "Brokeback Mountain?"
Yes, and no.
Ever since his leading-man debut in the 1999 drama, "October Sky," Gyllenhaal has racked up a reputation as one of Hollywood's best "serious" young actors.
From "Jarheard's" frustrated marine, Tony Swofford, to "Brokeback Mountain's" gay cowboy, Jack Twist, Gyllenhaal's inner intensity and cool, blue hound-dog eyes cemented his appeal with critics and fans.
But with Disney's Prince Dastan, a roguish street urchin turned royal adventurer, Gyllenhaal says he has finally found the role that connects with his true spirit.
"Contrary to popular belief, I like to have a good time," the 29-year-old actor told CTV.ca.
So, too, do director Mike Newell ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") and producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("Top Gun, "Pirates of the Caribbean").
Together the trio forged an action-packed, Arabian Nights-meets-Indiana Jones adventure that could spawn Hollywood's next golden franchise.
"We were out to make a movie where people have a good time,'" says Gyllenhaal. "That was our intention. To make a fun, lighthearted movie that was a throwback to the films of Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn but modern at the same time."
Loosely based on the 2003 video game of the same name, the film follows the gravity-defying escapades of Prince Dastan and Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton).
Together, they keep a villainous nobleman (Ben Kingsley) from destroying the empire with an ancient artifact called "The Dagger of Time."
"We went out of our way to interpret the video game, not copy it. It was the only way to make this film any good," says Gyllenhaal.
A bod built for action
Gyllenhaal's muscular physique has certainly generated as much attention as the film's 3-D bag of tricks.
Gyllenhaal beefed up for the film by studying sword-fighting, martial arts, acrobatics and parkour.
Based on what the French call l'art du déplacement, parkour teaches its students to magically run, jump and soar over every obstacle in their path.
"It took four or five doubles to make my action sequences look real. But there were times when I looked at myself in the segments that I did shoot and said, 鈥榃ow! I did that," Gyllenhaal smiles.
Remarkably, Gyllenhaal walked away with just a few minor injuries.
"That's if you don't count my biceps slapping me in the face," he jokes. "They were just so big."
Yet those guns recently had one audience demanding that Gyllenhaal remove his shirt before a screening.
"It was very flattering," Gyllenhaal smiles. "I told everyone to wait five minutes and they'd see me do it on screen."
But there's more to "Prince of Persia" than just a whopping dose of summer beefcake says Gyllenhaal.
"When I was a kid I loved movies like 鈥業ndiana Jones.' I think 鈥楶rince of Persia' can give a whole new generation of kids the same kind of thrill."
