Donnie Darko flashback: Seth Rogen initially doubted Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance
Seth Rogen says he once worried about Jake Gyllenhaal’s Donnie Darko performance—and he’s explaining what sparked those early concerns.
On the set of Donnie Darko, Seth Rogen couldn’t quite read what Jake Gyllenhaal was doing. In a new New York Times oral history marking the film ’s 25th anniversary, Rogen says Gyllenhaal’s take on the title character felt so off-center that he wasn’t sure audiences would go with it.
“I remember seeing [Gyllenhaal] on set and being like, ‘I don’t know how this is going to land,’” he said. “He wasn’t playing this charming version of it.”
Rogen — making his movie- acting debut as bully Ricky Danforth — adds that Gyllenhaal’s intensely thought-through, unnerving performance struck him as a big swing that could either tank the movie or turn it into something special. It turned out to be the latter, though not right away.
Released in 2001 as writer-director Richard Kelly’s feature debut, the film struggled in theaters before finding its people on DVD and late-night screenings, ultimately pulling in more than $10 million in U.S. home-video sales. Gyllenhaal’s moody, haunted Donnie became the cornerstone of the movie’s cult status.
Still a head-scratcher
Two decades on, even some of the cast admit the film’s twisty time-loop logic still trips them up. Noah Wyle — who played science teacher Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff — told People he never fully cracked it, even after reading the script and shooting his scenes.
“Confusing, but super cool,” he said.
Wyle said he joined the film after being approached by Drew Barrymore, and while he may not have solved its cosmic math, he remembers the experience fondly.
- Jake Gyllenhaal — Donnie Darko
- Seth Rogen — Ricky Danforth
- Noah Wyle — Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff
The reflections arrive as the cult favorite marks its 25th anniversary in October 2026.