Here are 20 reasons why Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the coolest people alive

He's right at the top of the acting mountain.

That's right, there's such a thing as an acting mountain. With Jake Gyllenhaal, we've always found there to be very little separating the actor and the man himself, because he always appears to be honest, open and incredibly self-deprecating. In Gyllenhaal's case, it always seems that what you see on screen is exactly like he is in real life. Whatever role he plays, there's a passion, integrity and skill to his performance, but he's also an incredibly cool person when the cameras aren't filming. His latest film Everest is set to hit Irish cinemas on Friday 18 September and here's why he's cooler than the snow-covered peak of the world's highest mountain.

1) He's grounded

Gyllenhaal's parents are a film producer and director respectively, so he was born into a fairly privileged life. Rather than turn into an egotistical Hollywood spoiled brat though, his parents insisted that he worked summer jobs to support himself. Taking this advice, he worked as a lifeguard and as a busboy at a restaurant, so he learned the importance of hard work, honesty and staying grounded.

2) Coolness is in his genes

Paul Newman is his godfather (no big deal, he's just the most stylish and cool man that ever walked the planet), while Jamie Lee Curtis is his godmother. Newman even gave him his first driving lesson. How amazing is that?

3) He just has fun

When promoting The Day After Tomorrow, he was asked by a journalist to summarise the movie and said, "basically this is a film where the weather is shit". Hero.

4) He could have been a Mighty Duck

Gyllenhaal was a talented child actor and he made a memorable breakthrough in City Slickers, but he could have been an integral member of Coach Bombay's winning Mighty Ducks team also. His parents didn't let him take the part though because they felt that it would get in the way of his school work. Boo! Hiss!

5) He could be Colin Farrell's look-alike

This story is absolute gold.

6) He's a clever dude

He studied at Columbia University for two years and one of his professors was Robert Thurman, Uma Thurman's father.

7) Self-deprecating sense of humour

He openly said this to PEOPLE when talking about his lifeguard job, "someone got stung by a jellyfish and I peed on their leg to counteract the sting. Otherwise it was pretty tame. Occasionally I'd pick up the lifeguard buoy and run down the beach, Baywatch-style, like something was actually happening." Look, even the Hoff likes that story.

8) This impression of Arnie is spot-on

He's always gold on Graham Norton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izj7Uw_wMlM

9) Donnie Darko

If you're one of the five people in the world that hasn't seen this film yet then you're really missing out. Gyllenhaal's performance as the enigmatic, dark and dysfunctional teenager is so utterly convincing that it's impossible not to be drawn in. The film is nothing short of a modern day masterpiece.

10) He takes risks

There are certain actors that you'll watch in any film - regardless of what you've heard about it - because you trust their taste and ability. Gyllenhaal always seems like an actor that's drawn to the script and director over the paycheck or glamour. Bubble Boy, Jarhead, Zodiac, Source Code, Nightcrawler and End of Watch are just some of the eclectic choices that he has made. Anyway, here he is hanging out with Jay-Z and Beyonce, also a good choice.

11) This great line about acting

He clearly knows that his job is strange, "I think acting is an incredibly immature, selfish profession, but on the flipside of that, it helps you practice empathy".

12) He can rock a beard

Here he is talking about his glorious facial fuzz. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDmGeWl_dDs

13) He knows that his name is ridiculous

We've seen the red line appear on our spell check more times than we care to admit while writing this article. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3GN_YQKR1k

14) He could have been Batman AND Spiderman

He auditioned for Batman Begins and was also very close to filling in for Tobey Maguire after the actor injured his back, just weeks before Spiderman 2 was about to start filming.

15) This scene from Donnie Darko

The very definition of teenage rebellion here and it's testament to the actor's talent that he holds his own against the much missed Patrick Swayze. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q4KnXgi2Jg

16) There's an Irish angle to his heroes

His list of idols include Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman, Sean Penn, Bruce Springsteen and Bono. That's right, we're claiming them all as Irish.

17) Brokeback Mountain

Along with Heath Ledger, his performance is an absolute tour-de-force in a love story that was brave, fearless and incredibly progressive in what is a fairly conservative Hollywood culture.

18) He knows his hip-hop

We also love the way he mercilessly winds up Emilia Clarke here too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a5gM7t8TZo

19) He's quite the charmer

Kirsten Dunst, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, Alyssa Miller and Emily Donato have all fallen for his charms in the past. *Swoons*

20) He's bound for an Oscar

It takes an amazing performance to stay with us after we left the cinema, but his creepy turn in Nightcrawler was so convincing that we needed a steel brillo pad to scrub it off of us. He backed this up by getting absolutely ripped for the boxing drama Southpaw. As stated before, Gyllenhaal isn't afraid to take risks and he's an actor that constantly entertains audiences, regardless of the role that he's playing. We're sure that that little golden statue isn't far away from his hands.

Jake Gyllenhaal's latest role is as Scott Fischer in the truly epic Everest, in Irish cinemas on Friday 18 September.

To get you in the mountain-climbing mood ahead of the film's release, make sure you check out the official trailer form Universal Pictures right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syd0WOQJW4Q Clip via UniversalPictures Ireland