Jake Gyllenhaal In "Proof", featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins, Gyllenhaal played a graduate student in mathematics who tries to convince Paltrow's character to publish a revolutionary proof to a problem puzzling the mathematicians' community. In "Jarhead", Gyllenhaal played a violent U.S. Marine during the first Gulf War. He also auditioned to be Batman for the blockbuster "Batman Begins" and came close to getting the role, but Christian Bale was ultimately chosen for it. In "Brokeback Mountain", Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play young men who meet as sheep herders and embark upon a sexual relationship that begins in the summer of 1963
Jake Gyllenhaal scheduled to appear in Lanford Wilson's "Burn This" on Broadway at the re-opened Hudson Theatre under the direction of Michael Mayer in 2017. It was announced in October 2016 that the production has been postponed until the 2017-18 season, because of scheduling conflicts with Gyllenhaal. However, in December 2017, a new production of "Burn" "This" was scheduled for 2019 with Adam Driver in the role of Pale. Gyllenhaal's production was reported to be "scuttled". The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal's immediate family includes his sister, actress Maggie, who is married to actor Peter Sarsgaard, Gyllenhaal's