Maggie Gyllenhaal is used to playing strong women and on the big screen and on stage, so she admits it was a little tough for her to play the emotionally wounded and vulnerable Jean Craddock in the dramatic movie “Crazy Heart.” In “Crazy Heart,” Gyllenhaal’s character is a journalist at a small-time publication who meets a has-been country singer named Bad Blake (played by Jeff Bridges) for an interview. Jean is a single mom with an admitted history of making the wrong choices in her personal life — and, not surprisingly, Jean ends up falling in love with Bad, an irresponsible alcoholic.

In real life, Gyllenhaal is much more assured than Jean is, and the actress has a stable family life that includes her husband, actor Peter Sarsgaard, and their daughter, Ramona. I caught up with Gyllenhaal at the “Crazy Heart” press junket in New York City, where we talked about her favorite country music, which person she would most want to interview in real life, and what it was like having a bunch of musicians on the “Crazy Heart” movie set.

When they first meet, Jean Craddock and Bad Blake bond over their love of Left Frizzell’s music. Did you know about Lefty Frizzell before doing “Crazy Heart”?

Did I know Lefty Frizzell as a musician? It’s interesting that you ask me that because I actually do listen to country music and it completely came from me. I was born in New York and I grew up in California and I’ve lived here for 15 years, in New York. There’s no reason at all why I should like country music and I do.

The country music that I listen to though, I’m not sure what ["Crazy Heart" producer/composer] T Bone [Burnett] would think, because it’s not influenced by where I’m living at all and none of my friends listen to country. It’s all my own thing. I didn’t know Lefty Frizzell, although I did listen to Merle Haggard and Hank Williams and some of the other old school guys that we talk about.

I didn’t listen to Lefty Frizzell until I started the movie and did the interview. But I do love Gillian Welch and Iris Dement, Emmylou Harris. I love the Dixie Chicks. I do listen to country music. And I don’t know why, I just like it. … read more »

Maggie Gyllenhaal is the product of a show business family. Her father Stephen is an actor who launched Maggie’s career and her screenwriter mother Naomi Foner won a Golden Globe for Running on Empty. Sister of Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie has established herself as a solid actress capable of creating a myriad of characters, including her latest as Jean in Crazy Heart.

Mirror: How did you as the actress get past Bad Blake’s (Jeff Bridges) dysfunction and have your character fall in love with him?
Maggie: When you have a wonderful script and you’re acting with Jeff, it’s easy.

Mirror: Have you ever been attracted to the wrong person?
Maggie: I’ve been attracted to people who have been terrible for me. Sometimes you work through it and other times you don’t. That’s part of the reason why the movie is so good – because they are unlikely lovers.

Mirror: What made saying goodbye to Bad so difficult?
Maggie: It was hard because she loves him. She could have said, o.k. you’re clean and sober; let’s try. When we shot that scene, Jeff asked ‘Can I touch you?’ I just looked down and didn’t say anything, but I wished that I could say yes.

Mirror: Jean is attracted to him when he’s an unkempt drunk, but when he’s clean and sober and ready to build a new, healthy life with her, she rejects him.
Maggie: He gets out of rehab but how does she know he has his addiction licked. He lost her child (Buddy) and although she loves Bad, she couldn’t take a chance. He could fall off the wagon and lose Buddy again and it would completely be her fault.

Mirror: How do you compare yourself to Jean and how much personal sacrificing have you made?
Maggie: You can’t sacrifice everything for your children or you’ll be an empty shell. I don’t usually like to talk about my family, but my experience with being a mother is tied to this movie. I made the movie when my daughter was almost two. Before that, I had been focusing almost exclusively on being a mother and started to get restless. I’m an actress and had so much to express. It all came out in Crazy Heart and in a way very similar to Jean’s experience because she was trying so hard to balance being a good mom and have a career. At that point, she needed something for her. I had the same feeling. I needed something for me.

Mirror: Your brother Jake and your husband Peter (Sarsgaard) are pretty awesome. Do you talk about your careers at the dinner table?
Maggie: We try not to. My husband has a great way of thinking about awards. There are people who don’t care but most actors like awards, especially me. I know it’s not good for me to think about it because it’ll make me crazy.

Mirror: Lots of luck to you.
Maggie: Thank you.

I have added some HQ stills from “Crazy Heart” to the gallery.

Gallery Links:
Movie Productions: Crazy Heart Promotional Stills

Maggie will be visiting “The View” on December 23, 2009 – so remember to watch!

It’s true that Maggie Gyllenhaal’s first two films were directed by her father Stephen (1992′s “Waterland” and the following year’s “A Dangerous Woman”), but no one was crying nepotism by the time she broke out of Sundance with 2002′s pitch-black comedy “Secretary,” an astute character study on BDSM behavior in which she bared all — figuratively, literally and both ways boldly. Since then, Gyllenhaal’s carved out an eclectic path through indie cinema (“SherryBaby,” “Donnie Darko”) and mainstream fare (“World Trade Center,” “The Dark Knight”), with her richest roles typically emerging from the smaller passion projects that she clearly loves most.

Such is the case with first-time filmmaker Scott Cooper’s charming country-music drama “Crazy Heart,” adapted from Thomas Cobb’s novel and featuring the music of co-producer T-Bone Burnett. In a performance that just nabbed him a Golden Globe nomination, Jeff Bridges headlines as 57-year-old crooner legend Bad Blake, a charismatically crusty drunk who’s watched his music protégé-turned-rival (Colin Farrell) become a superstar while he himself now stumbles through sets in southwest podunk bowling alleys. Gyllenhaal costars as Jean Craddock, a young Santa Fe journalist, single mother and fan who scores a chance to interview Bad. With a cautious rapport on both ends, the two give in to an unlikely May-December romance that couldn’t possibly work, but hey, what’s in a title, right? Gyllenhaal, who has a young daughter with her husband Peter Sarsgaard, sat down with me to talk motherhood, having an old soul and what she likes least about being interviewed.

Have you ever been in a relationship you knew you shouldn’t be in?

Sure I have. But I don’t think Jean knows she shouldn’t be in this relationship with Bad. Also, even though I do think that they can’t end up together, they love each other. They are ultimately redemptive and good for each other in some ways.

… read more »

Maggie and the rest of the “Crazy Heart” people rang the closing bell at Nasdaq yesterday.

In ‘Crazy Heart‘ (opening Dec. 16 in New York and Los Angeles), Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Jean Craddock, a small town journalist assigned to interview the washed-up, grizzled, former country music star Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges). He’s a man who lost his place in the spotlight and is now regulated to performing in bowling alleys or drinking whiskey in his motel room — or, really, drinking whiskey pretty much anywhere. Soon, that interview leads to a complicated romance between the two.

Gyllenhaal sat down with PopEater in her midtown Manhattan hotel room and explains why she doesn’t spend too much time thinking about the Oscar buzz — though she’ll take one! — while also making it abundantly clear why no one should ever believe what they read on Wikipedia.

… read more »

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s husband Peter Sarsgaard – who is seven years older than her – laughed off remarks poking fun at their age gap.

Maggie Gyllenhaal admits people forget about the age difference between her and her husband.

The actress is seven years younger than her spouse, actor Peter Sarsgaard and says the gap has been the accidental subject of some ill-advised remarks.

Maggie said: “A journalist went up to my husband once and said ‘did you know that dating anyone more than three years younger than you is considered paedophilia?’. He quipped back, ‘Really? My wife is seven years younger.’ ”

Peter has previously played the role of David in ‘An Education’, a character who falls in love with a 16-year-old girl.

In the film ‘Crazy Heart’, Maggie played a character who falls in love with a man three decades older than her.

Peter and Maggie have one daughter, Ramona, who was born in 2006. The pair married in Italy earlier this year.

Maggie also attended the 2nd Annual Golden Globes Young Hollywood Party.

Maggie looked stunningly beautiful at the Los Angeles premiere of “Crazy Heart“, wearing a silver silk dress.