Jake Gyllenhaal talks career sacrifices, praises 'Southpaw' director Antoine Fuqua for 'taking risks'

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Stars gathered in New York City this week to celebrate the highly anticipated premiere of the boxing drama Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, 50 Cent and Forest Whitaker.

The movie, which is already generating early Oscar buzz, features a soundtrack executive produced by Eminem, who a little over a decade ago penned the Academy Award-winning track “Lose Yourself” for 8 mile.

Southpaw tells the story of boxing champion Billy “The Great” Hope and captures the raw emotion and sacrifice of a father fighting to save his family.

Gyllenhaal opened up about the sacrifices his characters makes on-screen and how the sacrifices he’s had to make in real life ultimately seem to pale in comparison.

“I don’t know sacrifice like Billy Hope knows sacrifice. I don’t know sacrifice in the realm of how a boxer knows sacrifice. I don’t think that they are comparable. Particularly given where my character comes from… he goes through a lot of things in his life that are very far from the things that I’ve gone through in my life” Gyllenhaal told theGrio. “So its really almost impossible for me to compare. It’s the reason really why I wanted to make the movie. I love characters that are far from who I am or how I was brought up and it makes me see the world in a whole different way, and it makes me appreciate the world in a whole different way.”

He later opened up about his friendship and admiration for the film’s director, Antoine Fuqua, who voluntarily trained alongside Gyllenhaal every morning and pushed his body to get into professional fighting shaped.

“His skills go beyond just the technicalities of film making and his visual sense,” Gyllenhaal said of Fuqua. “I think he has an ability to really connect with his actors and to create a world for them and he goes into that world with you. I find directors who are able to come with you… make you more committed. And ultimately when they ask something of you I think you’ll go there, you’ll take that risk because you know they’ve taken the risk too. I think that’s really friendship.”

Southpaw opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.

Follow theGrio.com’s Entertainment Editor Chris Witherspoon on Twitter @WitherspoonC.