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Although Maggie Gyllenhaal has made a name for herself through projects likeDonnie Darko, The Dark Knight Rises,andThe Lost Daughter, she, like most, started her career in smaller productions. One of the starting points of her professional life was the 2002 film, Secretary, where he starred alongside Ultron actor, James Spader.
Although the film did not garner a lot of attention, it seemed to have had a lasting impact on one of the stars. During an interview, Gyllenhaal revealed that she had developed feelings for the actor during the production of the film, and this interest ended up seriously hurting her.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader’s Complicated Relationship
WhenMaggie GyllenhaalandJames Spaderstarred inSecretary,they seemed to have developed quite an interesting relationship with each other. Spader has quite a reputation in Hollywood, being known for being very particular about certain things and being a little too dedicated when he is playing a character.
During an interview withThe Independent,Gyllenhaal revealed how his unique method of acting ended up affecting her. She explained that on set, they shared a very complicated relationship with each other, which was dominantly controlled by the actor. Spader would often have a hot and cold attitude towards her, being quite close and then suddenly being completely uninterested in her.
Other times, he would not give me the time of day, and it was really devastating, you know. I’d be [she adopts a soft, bewildered voice], what is wrong with James today? He’s not paying me any mind.
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Gyllenhaal mentioned that this confusing behavior ended up affecting her greatly during and after the production of the movie.
A Fine Line Between Acting and Reality
After learning about Maggie Gyllenhaal’s experience, many might wonder what promptedJames Spaderto treat a dear friend in such a manner. As the interview went on, the actress revealed what caused him to act in such a way and the truth may surprise many fans.
As Gyllenhaal continued, she made one thing evident; when they were having the time of their lives together and were close friends, Spader was in character. Since their characters inSecretaryare romantically involved, the actors also had to have a level of chemistry off-camera to make their scenes work.
He said, ‘The only person I was interested in on that set was Lee Holloway.’
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However, what Gyllenhaal did not realize was that when they were close to each other, he was hanging out with her character, Lee Holloway, and not the actress herself. When they were giving an interview together, she ended up asking him about this, and his blunt answer was quite hurtful to her.
I was like, ‘What the fuck does that mean?’ I felt sort of dismissed by that. But then I said to myself, well, that was me. In his mind, in some ways, there’s no distinction. And in my mind, too.
Although the situation would be painful for anyone, she mentioned that she was not completely innocent in what transpired. She added that she had built a fantasy around their interactions when, in reality, they both ended up blurring the lines between their characters and themselves.
Secretaryis available for streaming on Prime Video.
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
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James SpaderMaggie Gyllenhaal
