Gyllenhaal Really Doesn't Want to Talk About T-Swift

Jake Gyllenhaal was supposed to be promoting his new sci-fi/horror film Life, but instead, the Guardian's headline ended up focused on the actor's refusal to discuss his personal life. Things went south when interviewer Tim Jonze asked whether Gyllenhaal considers himself an "intensely private" person. Gyllenhaal replied that he doesn't necessarily consider himself "guarded," but he thinks "intimacy" is important and "I don’t think everybody needs to know about my family or my personal details. I’m old school in that way." Jonze didn't let it go, and decided to point out that for a person like Gyllenhaal, then, dating Taylor Swift—known to use her relationships as fodder for her very popular songs—may have been like "playing with fire."

Gyllenhaal started to respond before trailing off with a shrug: "I think when you’re in a relationship, you are constantly scrutinized, your friends are scrutinized, but..." Then Jonze pushed it further, asking if Gyllenhaal had ever listened to any songs Swift purportedly wrote about him, aaaand... "I would love to not talk about my personal life." Despite recognizing the "tense" atmosphere, Jonze pushed on, insisting that T-Swift's songs aren't exactly part of Gyllenhaal's personal life since they're part of the public domain. Gyllenhaal disagreed and, per Jonze, "we end up engaging in a bizarre stand-off where anything I say is met same response, repeated through a cold smile: 'I would love to talk about the movie.'" Jonze finally gave in and moved on, but at the end of the interview, Gyllenhaal complained about how much of the interview was spent on his personal life. Click for the full, bizarre read. (More Jake Gyllenhaal stories.)