Sometimes breaking stuff feels good, unless it’s your iPhone screen. Then it’s just annoying. For Jake Gyllenhaal, breaking things, really expensive things, is therapeutic for him. In his new movie "Demolition," he has to break down to build back up, and he tells Deco why that’s a good thing.
Jake Gyllenhaal (as Davis Mitchell): "I find I’m suddenly starting to notice things I never saw before. Well, maybe I saw them, but I just wasn’t paying attention."
Jake Gyllenhaal plays an investment banker named Davis, who seems to have it all. But when his wife dies in a car accident, he’s left to question who he really is.
Jake Gyllenhaal: "We’re all searching for who we eventually want to be. The life we think we want to have is not always the life that we really do want to have."
Naomi Watts plays a friend who’s there for Jake’s character, helping him to focus on what’s important.
Naomi Watts: "This tragedy occurs, and he thinks he can just keep going. ‘This is all fine. I’ve got the good life. Yep, my wife is gone but, you know, I’m OK.’"
But clearly he’s not OK.
Chris Cooper (as Phil): "If you want to fix something, you have to take everything apart and figure out what’s important."
He takes that advice quite literally and starts taking things apart as a way to find out what works and doesn’t work in his life.
Jake Gyllenhaal: "There’s the initial moment for everyone in the audience, when they see this movie, where they kind of cover their mouth and go, ‘Oh, God, should I be laughing at this?’ And then all of a sudden, as they give in, almost more than half the movie, there’s significant laughter."
He takes the idea of demolition to the extreme and, before you know it, he has a bulldozer to tear down his house.
Judah Lewis (as Chris): "What are we doing again?"
Jake Gyllenhaal (as Davis Mitchell): "We’re taking apart my marriage."
Naomi Watts: "I think that this story could occur to anyone, which makes it relatable and it feels, even though it’s very different than what we would expect, it feels truthful."