The Covenant is a first for Jake Gyllenhaal, as he confirmed to Insider that this was the first time he cried after watching a movie of his. After having a career like his, the actor was “surprised” by his emotional reaction to the upcoming Guy Richie movie.
“I don’t think I’ve ever watched a movie that I’ve been in and it’s made me cry. This movie did when I saw it, which I was very surprised by.”
It is not too much of a surprise based on the emotional story of The Covenant, which centers on Jake Gyllenhaal. He plays U.S. Army Sergeant John Kinley, who is rescued by his interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). After getting the sergeant to safety, which took days of going through hostile territory in Afghanistan swarmed with the Taliban, John Kinley survives to get back home to the U.S. When settled back, John finds out that Ahmed and his family are still in Afghanistan. Without his superiors agreeing to rescue Ahmed, he goes back to repay his rescuer.
Jake Gyllenhaal cried after he watched The Covenant
Emotional roles are not unknown to the actor. For one, he did 2017’s Stronger, in which he played Jeff Bauman, a real survivor of the Boston Bombings. Still, no matter how fun or emotional, he finds it difficult to see himself on screen. This time around, “the story here came through.”
Spoilers were removed for The Covenant, but Jake Gyllenhaal did mention how he got “choked up” at the scene in which he was rescued. For the rest, audiences will have to guess which scenes broke the actor into tears for the first time in his career.
The Covenant releases this Friday (April 21). As of writing, the film currently holds a respectable 78% on Rotten Tomatoes but has not been solidified in its rating yet.