Jeff Bridges reveals that Maggie Gyllenhaal was top of his list to play love interest in Crazy Heart.
The movie follows a faded country music musician who is forced to reassess his dysfunctional life during a doomed romance that also inspires him.
Bridges admitted that he had always been a big admirer of Gyllenhaal's work as the pair went on to bag Oscar nominations for their performances, Bridges went on to win Best Actor.
The actor tells MSN.com: I've been following her, she's a great actress, she disappears into the role and becomes that person.
"She was on the top of my list of actresses that I kind of imagined in that role."
Despite a twenty eight year gap between the pair Bridges believed it worked well for the movie.
"I thought about having a more age-appropriate relationship, but somehow the story didn't lend itself to that, it was better to be this way," he said.
"As far as how that felt, I mean, I think of myself as 25.
It was Bridges' fifth Oscar nomination while it was a maiden nod for Gyllenhaal, who lost out to Mo'Nique.
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