"Being a star doesn't last. That's not what life should be about. It's a complete illusion that really has nothing to do with you. For me, finding out about life is the most important thing." (1999, Raygun)

On the one role that got away: "I'd have to say Ewan McGregor's part in Moulin Rouge! (2001). It was soooo close. I sang and everything. I went through months of auditions. It was between me, Heath Ledger and Ewan. I think it came down to age and where people were in their careers. I was the youngest and the least known. I would hope it didn't have anything to do with talent. Maybe it did".

"I admire actors and artists who devote just as much time to their life as they do to their work."

"In a perfect world, I would love to do one play for every three movies."

"The truth is most of the films that make a lot of money no one remembers, and I'm not interested in making films that no one remembers."

"Coming from a family where my mom is a writer, I just respond to how people speak."

"First, it's "Who is Jake Gyllenhaal?," then it's "Get me Jake Gyllenhaal," then "Get me someone who looks like Jake Gyllenhaal," and then "Who is Jake Gyllenhaal?"...Right now, I'm between "Who is Jake Gyllenhaal?" and "Get me Jake Gyllenhaal.""

[Gyllenhaal on the stages of fame in Hollywood]

"Some movies you fall a step behind and some you stay in the same place, make the same choices. And then sometimes there are people who know more than you but show you, and that's the maximum you can hope for - doing that with someone who says, "I like you for what you are, and I want you to be in my picture." I didn't have to fake it or put on a mask - all the resources I had inside me were more than adequate. I don't want to pretend to be something ... I'm not pretending any more to fit somebody's mold. That's a long-winded statement but - why not do what you really think, even if it's a mistake?"

"You know, it's flattering when there's a rumor that says I'm bisexual. It means I can play more kinds of roles. I'm open to whatever people want to call me. I've never really been attracted to men sexually, but I don't think I would be afraid of it if it happened." (Details, December 2005)

"I fooled around with Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams got pregnant." Interview about filming Brokeback Mountain (2005), 2006.

"We live in a sad time where actors are politicians & politicians are actors."