Don't listen to what anybody says except the people who encourage you. If it's what you want to do and it's within yourself, then keep going and try to do it for the rest of your life.

The same year his role as Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain earned him critical acclaim. Election. In 2002 he starred in another indie film The Good Girl alongside actress Jennifer Aniston.

The same year his role as Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain earned him critical acclaim. For his performance he won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and was nominated for the Academy Award in the same category. Gyllenhaal then played against type as a frustrated Marine in Jarhead (2005).