Jake Gyllenhaal always loved "the thrill and intensity" of live theatre.
Jake Gyllenhaal
The 40-year-old actor - who made his Broadway debut in Nick Payne's 'Constellations' in 2015 and had some experience from his youth - has opened up on the "crazy craft" of performing in front of an audience rather than working on a film.
Appearing on the 'WTF with Marc Maron' podcast, he said: "I knew it gave me so much joy. I also knew I was super-stimulated by the thrill and the intensity of an audience, a live audience.
"Though it made me nervous, it was something else, something inexplicable - even to this day, I can't really explain.
"It is such a crazy craft - to somehow enjoy being in a spotlight where you can see nothing and sort of see the other actors you're working with and have an audience responding in this blackness where you can't even - that sort of thing is not for the faint of heart, and it's a very odd process.
"It's very strange - and to enjoy something like that makes you an odd person."
Meanwhile, Jake also opened up on the power of musicals and revealed how "comfortable" he has felt on stage.
He added: "The only time I've ever felt oddly comfortable was when I had music underneath me, when I had a downbeat...
"I remember not being nervous before I went out in front of five thousand people... and that made me freak out."
The star has enjoyed the camaraderie of musical theatre, and the bond the performers share with their audiences.
He said: "It's brave! It's brave to be that vulnerable. Not all of us, but I'm so desperate to try and be open even though most of the time I'm a pain.
"When you're sitting in the dark and you're watching someone be so vulnerable and open, it's inspiring.
"You can feel the community - particularly in musical theatre, there's this deep support."
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