Subscribe and click the bell for notifications: bit.ly/2JCVkzd Jake Gyllenhaal performs an excerpt from 'Sea Wall / A Life,' running on broadway through September 29, 2019. Website: seawallalife.com/
"I want to kiss her, and I want to tell her that I love her... but I don't." This line is so strange. Honestly, it encompasses so much emotion, and is so beautifully complex.
@@symeiqbal1356 well it's up for interpretation, but for me: it's that feeling when you watch someone you love suffering. There's a mix of wanting to comfort and knowing what to say, but it's halted by an opposite emotion of fear and guilt and uncertainty. He does love her and he does want to hold her, but is it enough? Will it even help? Even though it's true, those words and actions feel like they're not enough
The transitions are seamless. Emotions are all too real. The characters have depth. They are people on paper, humans from his words. I want to laugh at times but it feels wrong. The suspense is exhilarating. I applaud you behind my screen, Gyllenhaal
@@leif1075 im not a hundred percent sure, but i think by transitions they mean the transitions between the two “stories” i guess, like the parts with his dad switching to the parts with his wife and just switching back and forth
This is the sort of boundary pushing "acting but not acting" that the great Laurette Taylor tried to pioneer on film but was rejected for because she didn't appear to be acting. Jake is brilliant here, his phrasing and timing are masterful.
I saw this show on August 24 and it's the most spectacular thing on Broadway. Jake is a roller coaster of emotions, it makes you laugh and the second makes you cry. I don't understand why they haven't given him an Oscar!
They probably didn't mean an Oscar for this, they were probably just saying for his movie roles he definitely should have an Oscar. I think he's truly underappreciated and underrated.
I got lost in listening to this wonderful acting that I forgot that this was only a ten minute clip! Shame that I live in the UK and so won't be able to see this live :(
"I remember reading somewhere or maybe somebody telling me about this idea that there are three kinds of death: the first is when our bodies ceases to function, the second is when we bury the body or I guess... set it on fire. And the third is the moment- sometimes way in the future, when our names are spoken aloud for the very last time. And I'm thinking with myself but I don't say it, I wonder who is gonna say our child's name for the last time." This honestly brought me to solid tears, what an astonishing experience must've been to be there and watch his and Tom's acting in person. Unfortunately I'm from another country, so even if it was still playing, I wouldn't be able to go, but I'm happy this exists somewhere else for us to listen.
This is the kind of performance that, at the end, causes to you to inhale deeply and then silently just allow the emotion to run its way through you. Brilliantly done.
I cant express my admiration for him. Just in absolute awe of how insanely talented he is. The emotion that he invokes, creates, its powerful, and unexplainable.
I'm crying thinking about my own dad that died in this manor with heart failure. His doctor was not so kind and was impatient with me. I was alone at the hospital with my dad when he died and the doctor rudely said as he opened his eyelids "see, he is unresponsive". He did this because the nurse and I saw his arm twitch a couple of times and she brought him back in. So much for bed side manners...
Tammy Davis So sorry about you lost, I lost my dad due to the same thing 2 years ago my dad’s doctors were great but the day he passed away was like time standing still
I have just listened to the full monolgue an audible. He is sooo good! I cried like 5 times. I really can't understand why he hasn't been nominated for an Academy Award. One of the best actors of this generation!
This hits really close to home for me. My dad died from a heart attack when I was a little kid and the next morning when I found out I ate donuts with my family.
I saw Jake and Tom perform this at their final show in New York. It was the first and last Broadway show I’ve ever seen, and it was absolute beautiful perfection. Two incredible monologues. So happy there are clips online!!
I attended "Sea Wall" earlier this month and it was amazing! Both actors did a fantastic job, but Jake is just on a whole other level. He had so much energy, charisma and stage presence. And his acting was phenomenal. The audience kept switching back and forth from laughing to crying. He's my favorite actor and I was certainly not disappointed. I didn't want it to end! Definitely go see this if you ever have the chance.
Was lucky to catch this in person on Broadway Aug 2019. Such an amazing, moving performance by both the stars. This 10 min clip is just the tip of the iceberg, it only got better and better.
I think this monologue is an alternating juxtaposition of two scenes: his father's death and his child's birth. It was like he was telling his own life story, didn't even feel like he was performing.
I love how he primes you for the events to come in a very subtle way. For example, he uses the phrase at 3:17 "plate full of bones" in such a peculiar way - people never really talk about someone else's plate, you know. And what follows is the moment in the hospital with his wife, where they're looking at "a pile of a tiny kitten's bones" 7:22. Priming the listener's mind with these subtle literary devices is quite common, but it's hard to get it right. This is just one example, and may be I am seeing patterns where they aren't. But I thought I should share this with you all.
Amogh Kulkarni I perceived the “plate full of bones” part in the sense that she had already finished her meal, and being in a conversation while staring at a plate when there’s only bones left instead of looking at the person you’re talking to gives dimension to the “colder” emotions she’s giving off. If there was food on her plate, the moment would be less dramatic, and keeping her gaze at the plate of food wouldn’t necessarily imply that she was acting “distant” as much as it would when there’s only bones.
I had the privilege of seeing this on Broadway and it's was such an incredible experience to see Jake and Tom perform it. Two of the most talented actors of a generation.
It takes a great actor to allow the audience to experience the work exactly as it is intended, through the mouth of the character and not the mouth of the actor. So believable, it’s unbelievable!!! Great job Gyllenhaal!!
This was so amazing. I was lost in the story, so much emotion. What a fantastic actor. What a privilege it must be to see him doing a live performance. I only wish I could...
Jake is such a brilliant actor! I have watched SWAL three times at Hudson Theatre last year, I want to watch it one more time. Also, Jake is so sweet, kind, and beautiful ❤️
This Is amazing , this Is acting , he delivers so many emotions so many stories , feelings , wooow definitely one of the best actors in history and in our genaretion. He Is genious.
Honestly he’s been my favorite actor for over 6 years now and this just exemplifies why. Him alone talking to himself on stage for 10 minutes and I am immeasurably moved. Obviously a big part of this is the excellent writing but with the wrong person performing it, it could come across as awkward and jarring. He absolutely is 100% honest up there and believes every word. Completely captivating.
This is so beautiful. I don't have a chance to see this live cuz I live in a different country and I really feel like I'm missing out, so thank you for uploading this!
Having suffered a placental abruption myself at 6 weeks of pregnancy, with all that comes with it, ie. the blood and the rush to the hospital in the middle of the night, followed by the relief of the nurse's smile, I can say he's so honest with his performance it's hard to believe he hasn't been through the same ordeal.
Now I'm glad I couldn't get tickets to this but saw him do this monologue here! Having had one miracle son 25 yrs ago after 9 early miscarriages, and my dad dying at home of a silent coronary at 50, I knew I'd cry at his magnificent perfor but I had to pause now at 6 min I'm sobbing so hard, he's incredible!!!
it was hard to even know that this wasn't his story and that he does this all the time. i would love to see this show. my dad's ex saw it and her daughter got to meet jake gyllenhaal. lucky.
I really hate that I live in California...just those 10 little minutes made me feel a whole rollercoaster of emotions! I long for the rollercoaster to be longer. This was amazing! Made me want to cry but then laugh and then feel panicky with Jake but then confused as well. Wow just wow
Wow I'm so tired and I wasnt going to watch all of this but I got so hooked!!!! It felt so natural, like I was just listening to him talk about a real event in his life. This man is incredible.
After this adorable acting, he looks so nervous, with his hands in front of him and his curved back, forgetting to say goodbye to the host. I almost want to tap his back and say "It's OK, stand tall, you've been great"
Thank you for uploading this, truly! I live so far away and I'd never be able to see it live but this small clip was enough to give me a glimpse of what the whole play might be. So so beautiful, it made me cry.
This is such a beautiful piece. Jake was perfect casting for it. I wish I could've seen the show :( I have listened to it on audible and it's amazing but it's just not the same as seeing it
You think you cannot plan a birth and you can expect a death given some circumstances. Somehow, this story turns it around in the most compelling way. What a great performance and script.
I’ll be honest, I skipped through the video to find the point where he recites the excerpt. It sounded like he was just talking thru the whole thing. That’s how good of an actor he is. Fantastic memorization and emotional projection
when he said "when I was a teenager my dad walked into my bedroom and it's so dark ..." I was like NOOOOOOOOOOO! I don't like where this story is heading ...
Beautiful performance, very real and fragile. I held in laughs at times, cringed at others (in a good way) and yearned for the safety of this captivating character and his family. “I didn’t realize that you could plan for a birth, in fact I thought the exact and contrary opposite was the case.” Can’t plan for a death? I believe that’s his meaning, at least -and how true. I wish I could see the entirety of the show :-)
