When I first saw the announcement that Jake Gyllenhaal joined Michael Bay’s Ambulance, I was a little surprised. Gyllenhaal seems like an actor that seeks a bit more substance than some of the other actors of his generation but his recent choices suggest that he’s just ready to have some fun. Whether it’s playing around in the MCU in Spider-Man: Far From Home, teaming up with Guy Ritchie on an upcoming project, or joining the mayhem of a Michael Bay film, Gyllenhaal appears to be in a relaxed time of his career. That being said, choosing to work with Michael Bay was actually an easy decision to make because he’s revealing that he has always wanted to be in one of his films.
During a recent chat with People at the Los Angeles premiere of Ambulance, Gyllenhaal revealed that he has always wanted to star in a Michael Bay movie because he grew up in Los Angeles, where Ambulance is set, and as a young kid he would dream of car chases in the streets as showcased in some of Bay’s action endeavors. “Fulfilling that” for Gyllenhaal was a dream come true and from a performance standpoint, he said the heightened reality of a Bay film “just allows for so much room for fun.” You can check out his full quote below!
“I’ve always had this sort of dream since I was younger to be in a Michael Bay [movie], and it’s just fun to sort of play that out. To be in a city where I grew up, where you’re a kid thinking about cars and car chases and stuff like that and to be fulfilling that. Being an action star in a movie, it just allows for so much room for fun and joking and absurdity.”
Whatever criticisms some may have about Bay’s work, he really does appeal to our basic cinematic needs for popcorn entertainment. I can honestly say that most of his stuff entertains me and there is something to be said about his form of escapist filmmaking. With all the troubles of the world going on today, a little Michael Bay action is what we need to check out brains at the door bit and have a little fun.
Per the official synopsis for Ambulance, “Needing money to cover his wife’s medical bills, a decorated veteran teams up with his adoptive brother to steal $32 million from a Los Angeles bank. However, when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate thieves hijack an ambulance that’s carrying a severely wounded cop and an EMT worker. Caught in a high-speed chase, the two siblings must figure out a way to outrun the law while keeping their hostages alive.” The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza Gonzalez.
Ambulance with Jake Gyllenhaal, Abdul-Mateen II and directed by Michael Bay hits screens this Friday, April 8, 2022.