Jake Gyllenhaal has always pushed himself.
Jake Gyllenhaal
The 'Southpaw' star says it is part of his "ancestry" to be a hard-working individual.
He told The Observer magazine: "It's part of my ancestry, I think, somewhere. My grandfather on my mother's side was second-generation Jewish American. His father was a tailor from Poland, and he became a surgeon. He was the pride of his family. My father is from a long line of hard-working Swedes.
"Both were men who got up at 4.30 in the morning to start work. Pushing yourself both physically and mentally has always been a part of my life. From an early age, my dad would wake me up early to go for a run."
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old actor started in the film industry at the young age of 11 but previously admitted being a child star can be "dangerous".
He said: "I think any professional business for a child where they're not allowed to necessarily be a child is always dangerous. You know? I think kids should be allowed to be kids. But I also think that, I always believe in an education, I think that you can have however much talent and people can tell you that or not but an education has always been the thing that's gotten me through.
"My parents, even though I was acting at a young age, always emphasised that and I went to school and I was lucky enough to go to college and as a result of that I think I really know what good material is. I know what moves me because I read the great material."
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