Jake Gyllenhaal, 42, and Jennifer Aniston, 53, were once romantic love interests in the 2002 Drama-Comedy, The Good Girl. You'd think being in such proximity to Hollywood Royalty (Aniston already starred in Friends) would be heaven, but it was torture for Gyllenhaal.
The actor revealed to Howard Stern that torture doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing, as the pain came from his long-term crush on Aniston.
Scroll down to read how he explained himself
"It was also not torture, I mean, come on, It was like a mix of both."
Gyllenhaal's take on filming sex scenes with Aniston in 2002 is complex firstly because he was 22 and the actress was 33. The age gap made things awkward without factoring in his huge crush on the Friends star.
Their relationship in the movie is complicated, too, because Aniston plays a frustrated retail store worker, Justine, who starts an affair with a younger boy, Holden (Gyllenhaal). Justine fell in love with Holden but stayed in her abusive marriage.
The final nail in the coffin was the number of people behind the camera while they filmed the intimate scenes. Gyllenhaal said 30 to 50 people typically watch the actors and ensure they perfect the scene.
The Nightcrawler actor likened it to a fight scene, saying, "It's a dance, like, you choreograph it for a camera. It's one of those like a fight scene."
Aniston made it less awkward by placing a pillow between them to make Gyllenhaal feel comfortable.
Their movie received critical acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes with an 82 percent approval rating. Most of the praise went to Aniston as the role was refreshingly different from the rich girl role she typically took.
The Good Girl also earned several accolades including Best Screenplay for Mike White at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Hollywood Actress Award at the Hollywood Film Awards, and Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Actress in a Drama/Action Adventure for Aniston.
Having fulfilled a successful career, Gyllenhaal is ready to start a family, possibly with his French girlfriend, Jeanne Cadieu. The duo has been together since 2018 but keeps a low profile. The actor, however, coyly admitted that he's happy with the model, saying she shows a lot of love and support.
Cadieu, 26, is also private about her life and shares only work-related posts on her Instagram.
