Voters’Choice Fan View – Why Jake Gets My Vote

Thanks to fan Prophecy Girl for telling us why she thinks Jake Gyllenhaal is a great male role model.

A Jake Gyllenhaal fan learns many important things while watching Jake’s movies.

There’s the lesson about following your academic dreams and not letting your father force you into a life of coal-mining (October Sky); there’s the message about not discriminating against people born without immune systems (Bubble Boy); and, of course, there’s the warning that during cataclysmic climate shifts, your best bet is to find a pay phone (The Day After Tomorrow).

What a Jake fan won’t learn while watching him on screen is what he’s like in real life. He’s good enough at what he does, though, that people are often quick to assign to him attributes of the characters he portrays. He must be sensitive, some think. Or deep. Or vulnerable. Or able to jump off walls and perform daring feats of athleticism without wires or stuntmen. (Alright, that last one we can confirm is true.)

But the reality is that Jake is fiercely protective of his privacy; unlike so many, he’s famous because he’s an actor, not the other way around. So in writing why he would be a good Male Role Model to speak out about violence against women, I can only speculate. But I can do so basing my assessment on the parts of him that show through in spite of himself.

We know he cares about the world we live in. From Global Green to Rock the Vote to the American Civil Liberties Union, he has supported and been involved with a host of charities covering a wide range of issues.

We know he has a high regard for the women in his life. He has a close relationship with his sister, he loves his mom, and he dotes on his niece.

We know that on more than one occasion he has been called the “thinking woman’s” movie star, and that every time he’s been told this, he’s countered, “I would hope every woman is thinking.”

Jake Gyllenhaal already is a good Male Role Model. And on the issue of violence against women, people would listen, because people see him as someone who is caring, responsible, and genuinely interested in making a difference.

Plus, he’s waaaaaay hot. And come on. It’s not just anybody who could have taught us that lesson about the pay phones…