Jake Gyllenhaal and brother-in-law Peter Sarsgaard bond as roommates during shoot

Jake Gyllenhaal cherished his time as roommates with brother-in-law Peter Sarsgaard

Jake Gyllenhaal stars alongside his brother-in-law Peter Sarsgaard in the latest adaptation of the 1987 novel "Presumed Innocent," originally brought to the screen by Harrison Ford in 1990. This new Apple TV+ series features Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, a Chicago criminal lawyer accused of murdering his co-worker and lover, while Sarsgaard portrays fellow lawyer and public prosecutor Tommy Molto.

Gyllenhaal expressed his appreciation for the unexpected opportunity to live with Sarsgaard during the filming. "We got to live together through a majority of it," he told Sky News. "Most of the time, we both live in the same city but he's with his family and I'm in my life and we see each other but we don't live together, so it was a very special time in both of our lives that we got to really be like roommates."

Reflecting on their time together, Gyllenhaal added, "It's not a normal situation in that way, but man, did I cherish it and we got so much closer as a result of it." Sarsgaard, married to Gyllenhaal's sister Maggie Gyllenhaal since 2009 and shares one child with her.

Gyllenhaal highlighted the benefits of working with familiar people, noting, "There's an honesty there, I think, really it's amazing." He emphasized how being past the "introductory moments" allows actors to reach a new level of connection quickly. "In our case, with my brother-in-law and I, we're really devoted to our work and acting and storytelling and stuff so I think we also understand it as a craft, so we can kind of bring stuff from our relationship into scenes that are true in a fictional space, and we have great fun doing it."

Gyllenhaal also credited Sarsgaard with providing him with the most powerful piece of direction he has received. "He once came to see me in a show that I was doing on stage, and his only note for me was there's power in stillness, and I remember that so much because I think it's true," Gyllenhaal shared. "I think particularly as an actor but then generally in life, I think we have a tendency to want to move and express ourselves, and I think that oftentimes the stillness makes people lean in and also makes you focus on listening."

"Presumed Innocent" marks Gyllenhaal's first lead role in a television series. Discussing the genre's appeal, he remarked, "It's the ultimate question mark, right? It's the ultimate mystery. And I think, thriller, a crime whodunit is always so interesting, particularly when it's a story that's unfolding over many different hours." He added, "It's great fun, even though the subject matter is very intense, and I also think we're fascinated in the extremes of human behaviour."