Jake Gyllenhaal: The Lead Role in Prince of Persia Movie Was “40 days and 40 nights of misery”

When Jake Gyllenhaal took on the role of Prince Dastan in Disney’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), he could not have predicted the time and effort required to bring the character to life. While any action role requires intense training, bringing the action-packed video game character to life required more than just basic physical training.

Gyllenhaal shared his experience while training for the movie. | Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios

In a candid interview during filming, Gyllenhaal shared some insights into how tough the training regimen was for this live-action adaptation. For an actor who was accustomed to playing a range of emotionally complex characters, this was a brand-new experience, introducing a different kind of challenge altogether.

Jake Gyllenhaal underwent warrior training for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

He went through rigorous training to play the role. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

In an interview with SlashFilm during filming, Gyllenhaal revealed intriguing details about his preparation for the role. He explained that to truly take on the role of the Prince from the game, he had to throw himself into a rigorous physical training program.

However, unlike the typical physical training, his schedule was specifically tailored to meet the demands of a role in the beloved Prince of Persia franchise. His training included parkour, sword fighting, and agility drills.

Gyllenhaal explained that the main goal of this training wasn’t just to look fit, but to physically embody a character who could perform incredible feats of strength, speed, and agility, like its second nature.

To achieve that he wasn’t just learning how to fight with swords in a gladiator-style combat scene, instead, he was training to run up walls and leap across rooftops, to make sure that he would replicate the actions the character could perform in the video game.

40 days and 40 nights of misery. […] The development of the character was massively physical at first, just getting in shape and doing all that stuff […] to get into the mentality of a warrior, somebody who as written is someone who can really fight.

Besides the physicality, the extensive training helped him understand the character’s role a lot better, particularly in regard to someone who is a warrior who could fight, move, and think like a trained athlete.

Gyllenhaal went beyond the physical

The movie left a lasting impact on Gyllenhaal. | Image Credit: Ubisoft

While many of the difficult stunts were performed by professionals, Gyllenhaal wasn’t relying entirely on stunt doubles. He was also deeply involved in his physical performances, pushing himself to do as many stunts as possible on screen.

The actor was particularly proud about performing many of his own stunts, which required extensive practice and coordination with the stunt team. He explained one scenario:

Basically, simulating all that through training, so when I get to the day and someone comes up with an idea and they’re like, ‘Hey, I think it would be a really great idea if you ran up that wall,’ I say, ‘Okay.’

Additionally, besides the physical challenges, Gyllenhaal also had to master a British accent for the role. While he occasionally spoke in his natural accent on set, he remained committed to maintaining the British tone for the entirety of filming.

While the movie was not able to meet the high expectations of Disney, for Gyllenhaal it was much more than just another action movie role. His description of the training showed the immense effort it took to transform into the Prince.

In the end, by the time filming wrapped up, Gyllenhaal had not only become a warrior on screen but had also undergone a personal transformation. He even said the movie was a rewarding experience for him, left a lasting impact.