Jake Gyllenhaal is hitting the gym…again. The Nightcrawler star is set to reprise his role in a sequel to the Road House, which was a big hit for Amazon in 2024. Now the star is opening up about what it’s like to have to hit all the workout milestones for another film and how nervous he is to approach the daunting goals he was able to hit a few years ago. Luckily, Stephen Colbert had a hilarious pitch for the film that made the actor laugh and his work out regimen worth it.
Gyllenhaal recently was a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he discussed starring in the Broadway revival of Othello with Denzel Washington. The conversation soon turned to the news that Road House would be getting a sequel, and Gyllenhaal would be required to get back into incredible shape again to play Dalton. The actor admitted that even though he had achieved an incredible physique for the first film, getting back to that point is scary. When Colbert asked him about it, he said:
It's terrifying… It’s terrifying.
Colbert also told the actor that he had auditioned for the original 1989 Road House that ended up starring Patrick Swayze. A lot of time has passed, and the talk show host doesn’t think he’d be able to achieve a Gyllenhaal-esque physique, but he still thinks his smart and sharp look could benefit him as a different kind of character in the upcoming Road House movie. Colbert said:
I don’t think I’m gonna get in that kind of shape, so what if I’m the accountant for the roadhouse? And you know the spindles that you put the receipts on? I use those like, [imitates fighting moves] ‘Kah, kah, kah!’ Little eyeshades, something like that, [an] armband. … They call me green eye, the green-eyed monster.
The Daily Show alum was clearly kidding, but this is a pretty clever idea to think of on the spot. Gyllenhaal thought it was absolutely hilarious, and while I’m not quite sure this character pitch will make it into the film, the Oscar nominee can keep the idea in his back pocket in case he ever does a comedy.
Speaking of that, the Donnie Darko star has a surprisingly great sense of humor, and he and Colbert have proven great chemistry whenever the actor has been a guest on the show. So, I’d love to see them do something together in a larger capacity, outside of funny, ongoing late-night bits. You can see the entire interview below:
I’m sure these two will have more opportunities to talk about a potential collaboration, because it won't be long until Gyllenhaal is back on the talk show circuit.
The Zodiac actor has a number of projects coming down the pike. Aside from Road House 2, he is starring in Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride, and he is also set to star in the Guy Ritchie film In The Grey later this year. He is also attached to a number of other projects in pre-production, so we will be seeing a lot of Gyllenhaal in the near future.
However, based on this interview, getting in impossible shape for Road House seems to be what’s on the forefront of his mind. So hopefully that means fans can look forward to seeing “Jacked Gyllenhaal” back on our screens sooner than later.
It may be a while before this highly anticipated sequel heads to streaming. In the meantime, you can revisit Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in Road House, which is available with an Amazon Prime subscription. Fans of the actor can also see him in Othello, which is running on Broadway until June 8, 2025, at the Barrymore Theatre.
