14 DAY TRIAL // When the announcement came that Jake Gyllenhaal had been cast in the new “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” film, on which incredibly high hopes are pinned, fans were skeptic that he’d be able to carry the role, at least from a physical point of view. The first shots on set, though, did not disappoint, with the actor showing off his bulging biceps and muscular arms.
Speaking with People magazine about how he prepared for the film, Gyllenhaal says that, while not really a stranger to physical training, this was by far the hardest he’s worked to get into character. A while back, the actor revealed that he overtrained for the part because he didn’t know exactly what was being asked of him; now, he says that, when he did learn what he was supposed to do, he realized a gym subscription wouldn’t be helpful. So he started freerunning, also known as Parkour.
“[I] never did anything this intensive before [to change my body]. It’s a physical role. And when I commit to playing a part, it’s 110 percent. We worked really closely with David Belle, who invented Parkour. I worked with a lot of gymnasts. I started jumping off of a lot of things that were padded and learned the fundamental stuff, and then slowly started working on harder surfaces, really carefully. And I’d say, ‘OK, I’ll try it,’ and then I’d say, ‘OH GOD. OH, please.’ But then I’d get it, and we’d go a little further and a little longer and a little higher and just kept it up,” the star says of the training he got for “Prince of Persia.”
As training got harder, Gyllenhaal became increasingly aware of the good results he was getting. He did most of his stunts in the film, even if some of them would leave him in pain or, even worse, injured. “It got a little bit dicey there near the end, when they saw that I liked doing things that were dangerous. I tried my hand at things that were pushing it a little bit. There was this big 35 foot jump that I did that got a little hairy. I enjoy being active as part of my daily insanity anyway, so I’ll keep doing that,” the star further explains for the same mag.
Shooting for “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” has long wrapped. The second trailer for it was released a few weeks ago, sparkling some talk about similarities between it and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, which might have put some “Prince of Persia” fans off the project. Those who are still interested in seeing Prince Dastan come to life on the big screen can do so on May 28, when the film drops.