See Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince of Persia
by Justin McElroy 
{ Aug 12th 2008 at 8:30AM }
No, we don't mean sexually excited, that's obvious. (Look at him!) No, we mean from a fanboy point of view. Is this close enough to your vision of the Prince to let you be a little hopeful? Or is the director's disregard for the source material still a deal breaker?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
zkey14 @ Aug 12th 2008 8:37AM
Uncanny.
Lametastic @ Aug 12th 2008 6:04PM
He's too freakin' white. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the character is Arabic. He's the Prince of Persia, not the Emo of Sherman Oaks.
JayEssTee @ Aug 13th 2008 2:05AM
Arabs =/= Persians.
WPstart @ Aug 12th 2008 8:39AM
He's not too bad but I always imagined that a live action prince would be much hotter. He looks too bubbly and not strong. I guess there's always post-production that could improve him?
Maverick Saturn @ Aug 12th 2008 8:52AM
I kinda expected the prince to be less muscle bound and more defined, this guy doesn't look like he could run up a wall to save his life ¬_¬
Grey Acumen @ Aug 12th 2008 9:16AM
the arms and shoulders aren't that bad, but he really does need to pound out a couple hours of ab crunches and stuff for a few weeks before I'm willing to give him a pass for the part.
Poke4Christ @ Aug 12th 2008 12:17PM
Are you guys freak'n kidding me? How is the American standard for conditioning so high for movies and so low for ourselves? The guy's got a vein running the length of his arm. I'd say he's effectively ripped.
brian @ Aug 14th 2008 12:39PM
I agree, too bubbly. Ever since I saw the bubble boy I can't watch any movie with this putz, all I can think of is either him bouncing around a palace in a bubble or him sucking on the other prince in the next cell.
xxHughesxx @ Aug 12th 2008 4:28PM
Oh yeah, cos none of us have veins in our arms...
Do curls for about 3-4 weeks and you'd get a vein like that showing.
Although more importantly my problem with this actor is his face. He's great for roles like donny darko and jarhead, real people, but he just looks a little bit...goofy maybe? I dunno, not quite right, not quite cool enough.
Plus the Prince is supposed to be lean and rely on skill and acrobatics, not huge muscles.
But as long as its acted well i couldnt care less about those things in all honesty. (although the chances of good acting being allowe to show through in a video game movie are virtually non-existant)
Viridium @ Aug 12th 2008 8:39AM
OMG he's dreamy. I might have to take down my Damon Baird poster and replace it with this!
Paul (PSN: heypaul) @ Aug 12th 2008 8:59PM
I wish I knew how to quit him!
Dr. @ Aug 12th 2008 8:43AM
I'm actually impressed, and Sands of Time was pretty much my favourite game ever. So that's good.
riggs @ Aug 12th 2008 8:45AM
not bad, now can he re-do the whole spiderman series too?
Maverick Saturn @ Aug 12th 2008 8:51AM
Dunno, doesn't look convincing to me. Also looks like he's showing off, 'look at me, I'm so hot, you're just jealous that you are not".
Dick @ Aug 12th 2008 10:45AM
Someone's got an inferiority complex, huh?
Maverick Saturn @ Aug 12th 2008 10:52AM
lol, not at all, but its the smug look and the way hes posing as he walks. Lmao
Tiago @ Aug 12th 2008 11:06AM
I guess he's really nailing the character then. =)
Maverick Saturn @ Aug 12th 2008 11:09AM
In that respect, yeh, maybe, lol, still doesn't change the fact he looks too beefed up in that pic
Roto13 @ Aug 12th 2008 12:59PM
He's holding some (possibly fat) woman's hand in that picture. I don't think he's really showing off in it. :P
farfisa @ Aug 12th 2008 1:35PM
@ Roto13
that fat chick is Reese Witherspoon
klepto88 @ Aug 12th 2008 8:28PM
Give the guy a break! He's just squinting because its bright out.
Maverick Saturn @ Aug 12th 2008 8:35PM
Lmao 10/10
AwesomeTown @ Aug 12th 2008 8:52AM
Looks the part, but all I seem to picture in my head now is that look and his voice in Bubble Boy. Doesn't seem right.
XLM @ Aug 12th 2008 11:58AM
bubble vato
Ryan P. @ Aug 12th 2008 8:54AM
He look's sexy enough..where was that body in Brokeback mountain? hello!?!
But I'm disappointed they didn't pick someone middle-eastern to play , you know...the prince of PERSIA! I was impressed with hollywood when i first heard they were going to do POP because of the ethnic diversity implied in the title. Casting white actors for non-white roles is so 1960's hollywood. It makes no sense.
FOXHOUND @ Aug 12th 2008 9:45AM
Just out of curiousness, do you have any suggestions for a replacement "Persian" actor? :]
Bad Mojo @ Aug 12th 2008 10:21AM
What about Oded Fehr? He seems pretty (and Persia-esque). Just not sure about his age factor.
Jonah Falcon @ Aug 12th 2008 10:29AM
Um, the Prince of Persia in the video game was a white guy. heh
Jess @ Aug 12th 2008 10:20PM
I think Luke Goss, who played King Xerxes in One Night With King, did a great job as a someone who wasn't born in the Middle East (he was actually born in Europe). So there is hope for Jake.
eldee @ Aug 12th 2008 12:40PM
Well, here's some round about logic for you:
There was a SNL digital short called "I ran (so far away)" that was a play on that I Ran song, but they were singing about Iran (the country) and the president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In the video, Jake Gyllenhaal was compared to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as being a look-alike.. and as we all know, Iran is sitting on top of the ancient kingdom of persia, so there you have it.
:D
koehler83 @ Aug 12th 2008 8:57AM
I'm gonna have to pass on this one, lest it blemish my staunch record of heterosexuality.
zombienutz @ Aug 12th 2008 9:04AM
He is not bad, but I still think his face looks goofy.
t @ Aug 12th 2008 9:10AM
Doesn't look very Persian to me.
Brodie-san @ Aug 12th 2008 9:25AM
What does Persian look like to you ?
Daniel @ Aug 12th 2008 9:58AM
C'mon man, even the Prince in the games didn't look Persian
t @ Aug 12th 2008 1:21PM
Brodi - Since Persia was part of asia, an asian. Or if you want to be really specific an Iranian since Persia used to be the name for Iran in the west.
krizoitz @ Aug 12th 2008 4:15PM
Seeing as how Iranians are not Asian or Arab but ethnically Caucasian, this seems about right.
To see what Iranians (at least some) look like, check out the athelte bios from http://nbcolympics.com. Jake could fit in actually.
elmersglue @ Aug 12th 2008 6:22PM
Nah dude, I'm Syrian, and I have plenty of Persian friends and I'm pretty sure there's no predefined middle eastern "look". He can pass off as persian. I mean, all you really need is that facial hair and chest hair...and you're good to go.
And to krizoitz, you made a distinction between arabs and iranians, and went on to say iranians are ethnically Caucasian. The semitic race can be considered caucasian too(which includes jews and arabs), so what you said basically makes no sense.
juju187 @ Aug 12th 2008 9:11AM
queer as folk
Red Leader @ Aug 12th 2008 9:15AM
That's probably as close as we're gonna get with a real actor. I'm not holding my breath though. Honestly I couldn't really care less how identical he is to the original, all that really matters is that the movie stays true to the story.
Dave @ Aug 12th 2008 9:31AM
I guess one thing that he could do to look more like the Prince of Persia is not be a white guy.
SugarDaddy @ Aug 12th 2008 9:34AM
Ha. Ya. You think they could have gotten a Persian... but given the whole US-Iran climate, it's clearly a marketing decision to use Jake.
Does anyone think this movie is going to be any good anyway?
Bobby S. @ Aug 12th 2008 9:39AM
Yeah no he doesn't look very persian at all.
I would imagine a smaller less buff, but more ripped actor since in the games, the prince isn't buffed at all.
Isn't this also going to be a Disney movie?
Erluti @ Aug 12th 2008 9:46AM
His hair just seems wrong. Too much scruff and his hair looks fake.
fyreblazer @ Aug 12th 2008 9:56AM
Very disappointing that the main character isn't Middle Eastern. As many actors as they're are in Bollywood, they couldn't find ONE?
First Tom Cruise as the last samurai, now this...
Vcize @ Aug 12th 2008 10:13AM
"First Tom Cruise as the last samurai, now this..."
What the hell are you talking about? The whole point in that story was that he was a white European guy who defected.
Zsavior @ Aug 12th 2008 10:21AM
Thing is Tom Cruise wasn't a Samurai he was an American Soldier who was captured and accepted his captures ways as a way towards redemption.
This they actually want you to believe he is a Persian Prince. Thing is I can't judge the movie from some pic of him dressed up, I would have to actually see his mannerisms and hear dialogue and such. But I don't think Jack Gyllenhaal can ever hope to really pull this off. So it is up to writing and effects..... Oiy.
Kweli @ Aug 12th 2008 10:29AM
Did you watch the last samurai, or did you just look at the cover?
Tom Cruise was never meant to be Japanese, he was a American that gets captured
You should read a book before you judge its cover
AlwaysOn @ Aug 12th 2008 10:00AM
Damn can someone give me the number to his personal trainer? I need him badly :P
Jonah Falcon @ Aug 12th 2008 10:29AM
His personal trainer is Wolfgang Puck.