Go ahead and tase him, bro. Jake Gyllenhaal can take it.
The 31-year-old actor got some experience on the wrong end of a police taser while doing research for his new thriller, End of Watch, about two young officers going up against a Los Angeles drug cartel.
“It was not pleasant!” Gyllenhaal told Us Weekly at the film’s premiere in L.A. Monday. “Thousands of volts of electricity through your body in a very short period of time was not fun. But ultimately, I can talk about it!”
In addition to his shock treatment, to get a comprehensive feel for what law enforcement officials have to go through on a daily basis, Gyllenhaal revealed he did ride-alongs with members of the Inglewood Police Department.
“I had no idea what to expect. The guys I was with . . . are so seasoned and so professional,” the Love and Other Drugs actor said. On his first night, “We went to a call where someone had been shot — it was a murder.”
Being on hand for the events that unfolded that night helped Gyllenhaal put his own situation into perspective — and recognize how important it was to ensure the story he and his costars were telling was as truthful as possible.
“This was a moment where I think you recognize the absurdity of your own job in light of the situation that you’re seeing,” he confessed. “I thought to myself, ‘What am I doing here, why am I here?’ Then I realized we’re trying to make a movie that’s authentic. It was no joke to any of us, and that made it no joke to me.”
