Maggie Gyllenhaal

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Birthday:

16 November 1977, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name:

Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal

Height:

175 cm

Academy Award-nominated actress Maggie Gyllenhaal was born on November 16, 1977, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Her parents, Naomi Foner (née Achs) and Stephen Gyllenhaal, are both filmmakers, and her brother is actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Her mother is from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, while her father has Swedish, English, Swiss-German, and German ancestry.Maggie made her film debut in Stephen's film Waterland (1992). She had sporadic roles throughout her teenage years, though she stepped away to receive a degree in literature from Columbia University in 1999. In addition, she studied briefly at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, which helped with her post-graduation transition back in to acting.Soon after graduation, Gyllenhaal appeared in supporting roles in Cecil B. DeMented (2000) and alongside brother Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko (2001). Her breakout role came a bit later, when she took on the daring, sexy title role in Secretary (2002). That part wound up earning her a Golden Globe nomination, and Gyllenhaal followed that up with supporting turns in 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), Adaptation. (2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003), among other movies.Gyllenhaal received her second Golden Globe nomination for playing a recent prison parolee in Sherrybaby (2006). She followed that up with roles in World Trade Center (2006) and Stranger Than Fiction (2006), and then replaced Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight (2008).In 2009, Gyllenhaal received great acclaim for her role opposite Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart (2009), which earned the actress her first Oscar nomination. Since then, Gyllenhaal has been seen in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), Hysteria (2011) and Won't Back Down (2012).Gyllenhaal has two children with husband Peter Sarsgaard, whom she married in 2009. Show less «

I do seem to have a bit of a predilection for movies that say something transgressive.

It's my responsibility to see what we can move and change about these old-school feminist mantras.

I find myself more and more interested only in roles which move the world forward.

You're invited to tons of parties, and you'll wear these shoes and that dress, and it can be enticing, but I think it also sucks you dry. If...Show more »

You're invited to tons of parties, and you'll wear these shoes and that dress, and it can be enticing, but I think it also sucks you dry. If you do it a little, sure, it's fun, but too much and you start to lose your footing. Show less «

Someone asked me why I didn't do teen movies or action movies, but I'm not interested in them.

With everything I work on, I want to be put in a position that I have to be brave to do the project.

These past couple of years have been about learning to not sabotage myself in a subtler way - for instance, even just by putting moisturiser...Show more »

These past couple of years have been about learning to not sabotage myself in a subtler way - for instance, even just by putting moisturiser on when I get out of the shower. Learning to honour myself and believing that I'm worth taking care of. Show less «

I really hated charm school. I guess I'm just a little bit bad.

There is a need, especially right now in America, to be a bit provocative.

I want roles that challenge people to question where they are in life.

(While promoting Mona Lisa Smile (2003)) "I've realised that the only way to make movies that you're proud of, that don't fall into the sent...Show more »

(While promoting Mona Lisa Smile (2003)) "I've realised that the only way to make movies that you're proud of, that don't fall into the sentimental bullshit that so many movies fall into, is to fight. You have to fight. So many people are willing to sleepwalk through things and fall into the not human, not interesting choice". Show less «

(On doing Homebody/Kabul) "To get people emotionally involved in something intellectual and political is important."

I didn't act the way little kids do, I threw my whole self into it.

(About being the youngest actress on her film Casa de los babys (2003)) "I felt out of place and not listened to".

(On her new film Strip Search (2004)) "I think it's important to see. It's a real violation, and it forces people to get emotionally involve...Show more »

(On her new film Strip Search (2004)) "I think it's important to see. It's a real violation, and it forces people to get emotionally involved in something that's intellectual and political". Show less «

(referring to when she started acting) "Even in elementary school, I took it really seriously. I was always doing plays."

There are two ways to be cool: One is to be disinterested and make it seem like you must be doing something much more interesting than every...Show more »

There are two ways to be cool: One is to be disinterested and make it seem like you must be doing something much more interesting than everybody else if you are this disinterested. The other is to be extremely interested. You are not trying to please anyone, but you are really invested are really focused. Show less «

I just want to support these films and be a part of them in any way because they are so provocative and interesting.

I don't think it is the narrative necessarily that is the most important thing I think it is the human interaction that is the most importan...Show more »

I don't think it is the narrative necessarily that is the most important thing I think it is the human interaction that is the most important thing. Show less «

I do see things sometimes that are good, but they don't feel like a challenge to me personally. Like, in my own life and so often I think th...Show more »

I do see things sometimes that are good, but they don't feel like a challenge to me personally. Like, in my own life and so often I think the things that excite me are things that feel a little bit beyond my grasp. Show less «

I am looking for movies that are actually about something and that are questioning something. Movies that are provocative in some way and I ...Show more »

I am looking for movies that are actually about something and that are questioning something. Movies that are provocative in some way and I am also looking for roles that I think will force me to grow or learn something about myself or the world in order to play them well. Show less «

When I started making movies, I didn't care if anybody saw them. And now I realize I don't want to make movies for the ten people that feel ...Show more »

When I started making movies, I didn't care if anybody saw them. And now I realize I don't want to make movies for the ten people that feel the same way about the world that I do! I want to make movies that people see. Show less «

(Comments at the Tribeca premiere about The Great New Wonderful (2005)) I think America has done reprehensible things and is responsible in ...Show more »

(Comments at the Tribeca premiere about The Great New Wonderful (2005)) I think America has done reprehensible things and is responsible in some way and so I think the delicacy with which it's dealt [in the film] allows that to sort of creep in. Show less «

Once you're a mom, there are secret things you know - like in your pocket, you'll find a bag of Cheerios.

I almost never have me time. That's the truth. When I have a morning to myself, I'll get a manicure or a bikini wax or I'll try to exercise....Show more »

I almost never have me time. That's the truth. When I have a morning to myself, I'll get a manicure or a bikini wax or I'll try to exercise. If I can go for a run, it changes my whole life! Show less «

[on her view of the Israeli-Palestininian conflict] What I've been doing is trying to read as much as I can and to think and feel each day w...Show more »

[on her view of the Israeli-Palestininian conflict] What I've been doing is trying to read as much as I can and to think and feel each day what my position is..At the moment, I feel like the show I made ['The Honorable Woman'] ...does articulate beautifully so many things I feel, and I'm trying to keep my personal politics out of the press. I do believe in the possibility of reconciliation. Show less «

In terms of sexuality in film, I'm really interested in that. I think it's a really interesting element to storytelling. I think nudity is i...Show more »

In terms of sexuality in film, I'm really interested in that. I think it's a really interesting element to storytelling. I think nudity is interesting, and I know that there are many actors and actresses who feel that it's just a part of their work. But I'm kind of compelled by it-when it's done well. So often, it's done in a way that's maybe not all that sexy or maybe trying to sort of fit into a fantasy of what people look like, and I'm not as interested in that. But nudity and sexuality that express something about the story you're telling, you just can't take your eyes off if it. The scene that comes to mind is in De rouille et d'os (2012). Remember that scene where you can see Marion Cotillard's breast and [Matthias Schoenaerts] is kind of like staring at her? And it's so gorgeous. And you can't take your eyes off it. I don't have a problem with it at all. I know that there are also people who are asked to just get naked and there's not much else to do in the scene, and I think I might have a problem with that. But I think it can be a very interesting element to tell a story, especially on film. Show less «

I just participated in the [TV] program "Finding Your Roots," so I have a very accurate and informed family history. On my mom's side, it wa...Show more »

I just participated in the [TV] program "Finding Your Roots," so I have a very accurate and informed family history. On my mom's side, it was exactly what I thought. They were peasants in Russia, and when my great-grandfather was drafted into the Russian army, which was a dangerous thing for a Jew, they left. First they went to Lithuania, then they came [to New York City] and lived on the Lower East Side, where my great-grandfather was a tailor... So I grew up mostly Jewish, culturally. How I eat, a lot of the way I think, comes from my mother. Show less «