Jake Gyllenhaal Had Steak Eating Contests with House of the Dragon Director

Presumed Innocent executive producer/director Greg Yaitanes was a total Jake Gyllenhaal “fanboy” when he met the actor prior to working with the actor on the hit series. “I usually just want to get [the fanboy thing] out of the way,” Yaitanes told MovieWeb in a recent interview. “Working with Tim Robbins [in Castle Rock], I had to geek out about Shawshank Redemption. But I go to films because Jake’s in them. I’ll go see Prisoners because he’s in it. I’ll go see Enemy because he’s in it. It attracts me — his work and his way of working, which is incredibly natural. There’s such an ease that he has in front of the camera that has taken 30 years to craft, and it’s beautiful to watch.”

It’s something to marvel at in Presumed Innocent, in fact. Yaitanes directed about five episodes of the series, which is based on Scott Turow’s bestselling 1987 novel, which was adapted into the 1990 film starring Harrison Ford. There’s already buzz for Season 2. Yaitanes recalls first meeting with Jake Gyllenhaal in person to discuss Presumed Innocent — Gyllenhaal also serves as executive producer on the project. “Before I got there, they said, ‘Do you have any dietary restrictions?’ I just said, ‘I’ll eat what Jake eats.’” Well, that turned into a curious experience. He went on to say:

“Paulette, [Jake’s] cook/chef who was
keeping him in
Road Hous
e shape
…
had this giant steak at 10 in the morning
. And so, you know, we had a great chat. I thought it was like a contest. Like…
he wants to know if all his directors can eat as much steak as he does.
And steak with Jake… he was so lovely. He works from such a place of joy and wants to have fun.”

If you’re imagining an oversized kid giddily stuffing his mouth in a fun contest, that’s about right. Yaitanes added: “That’s how he’s like — a big kid in a lot of ways. He has that enthusiasm that’s very enjoyable to hang around. And he said, ‘I just want you to promise me that you’ll chase the magic with me.’ And that was music to my ears to hear that. [I thought], ‘We’re on to something… we can lean into what that thing is and see where it takes us.’”

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Presumed Innocent (2024)

4.5/5

It tells the story of a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorneys’ office when one of its own is suspected of the crime. The show stars Jake Gyllenhaal and is from legendary TV writer David E. Kelley.

Release Date June 12, 2024

Cast Jake Gyllenhaal , Ruth Negga , Bill Camp , Elizabeth Marvel , Renate Reinsve , Peter Sarsgaard , O-T Fagbenle , Chase Infiniti , Lily Rabe , Nana Mensah , Matthew Alan , Kingston Rumi Southwick

Seasons 1

Streaming Service(s) Apple TV+

Directors Greg Yaitanes , Anne Sewitsky

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Yaitanes couldn’t contain his fanboy enthusiasm for Gyllenhaal. “When you bring Jake into the tent of collaboration, he is your greatest ally,” he said. “He will help you achieve what you’re trying to go for as a director. He will have your back through anything that’s going on. And that is really refreshing because it’s not sometimes the way that TV is traditionally structured in terms of the role of the director.

“He really doesn’t know any other way to work,” he added. “So, it was a real collaborative and energetic and inspiring process. I left work every day excited and went to work every day, like pinching myself.” Yaitanes elaborated:

He personally either handpicked the cast with us or read and auditioned with whoever was going to be working with him. He felt if he was going to have partners, they were also going to chase the magic with him.

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Presumed Innocent marks another hit in Yaitanes’s beaming career. He turned heads with the TV hit House, for which he earned a 2008 Primetime Emmy Award in 2008 for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. He’d go on to executive produce and direct Castle Rock for J.J. Abrams — the Star Trek director is also an executive producer for Presumed Innocent — as well as for Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone. Other standouts include revered episodes for The Old Man, Snowfall, Grey’s Anatomy, and the pilot episode of Bones, which ran for 13 seasons. Of course, he’s most in-demand now after producing and directing episodes of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, which is ending its second season soon.

Presumed Innocent is streaming on Apple TV+ through the link below:

Watch Presumed Innocent

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