Photo: GQ
Swifties have been waiting for this moment, and it’s finally here.
Jake Gyllenhaal revealed in an interview that he does not have a heavy heart over Taylor Swift releasing “All Too Well” ten-minute version last fall, under her re-recorded album, “Red (Taylor’s Version).”
The original song was released in October of 2012. Rumors have since circulated that it says everything about Swift and Gyllenhaal’s short-lived romance (lasting only three months).
The extended version debuted along with a short film that sparked another round of speculation from fans about the role of Gyllenhaal in Swift’s then heartbreak. And as expected, Gyllenhaal was thrown a lot of backlash from Swifties worldwide.
When asked about “All Too Well,” Gyllenhaal replied by saying, “It has nothing to do with me.” He added, “It’s about her relationship with her fans. It is her expression. Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don’t begrudge anyone that.”
During the debut of the extended “All Too Well,” Gyllenhaal turned off comments on Instagram, leading many to believe that he was personally affected by the online criticisms.
“At some point, I think it’s important when supporters get unruly that we feel a responsibility to have them be civil and not allow for cyberbullying in one’s name,” said Gyllenhaal.
“That begs for a deeper philosophical question. Not about any individual, per se, but a conversation that allows us to examine how we can—or should, even—take responsibility for what we put into the world, our contributions into the world. How do we provoke a conversation? We see that in politics. There’s anger and divisiveness, and it’s literally life-threatening in the extreme,” he continued.
“My question is: Is this our future,” Gyllenhaal further stated. “Is anger and divisiveness our future? Or can we be empowered and empower others while simultaneously putting empathy and civility into the dominant conversation? That’s the discussion we should be having.”
Gyllenhaal claimed that he didn’t get to listen to “Red (Taylor’s Version)” when asked if he had.
