‘It Was Never Gonna Work’: Alex Garland Almost Hired Jake Gyllenhaal In His Oscar Winning Debut Ex Machina

As a devoted cinephile who has followed the fascinating journey of films from script to screen, I find myself captivated by the intriguing tale of Ex Machina and the role that financing and casting decisions played in its success. The revelation that Jake Gyllenhaal was once considered for the lead role due to his bankability is a stark reminder of the business side of cinema.


In order to obtain funding for their Academy Award-winning film, Ex Machina’s director Alex Garland and producer Andrew Macdonald were strongly encouraged to choose Jake Gyllenhaal as the main actor. During a question and answer session at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival, Macdonald disclosed that “the sales companies urged us to cast Jake Gyllenhaal because he was commercially viable and they could easily market foreign territories.”

Initially, the producer had discussions about adjusting the cast, acknowledging it could alter the entire movie significantly. However, these plans fell through due to weak negotiations with Jake Gyllenhaal’s representatives. As he put it, “I recall speaking with Jake Gyllenhaal’s attorney about his requirements, but it was never going to be feasible.”

In “Ex Machina,” Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac were the last actors to join the cast. At that point, although they had already gained fame as actors, they didn’t have enough influence to secure funding through international sales. Consequently, the creators opted to seek financial backing from Hollywood, which they believe helped attract additional collaborators to the project.

Eventually, they produced the film in collaboration with Universal International, as they had previously worked with Isaac and Vikander on another project that showed potential. Consequently, they decided to invest in Ex Machina as well. Unbeknownst to them, this production would turn out to be a critically acclaimed success, generating substantial profits.

The director of the movie highly commended his “dedicated, youthful, and enthusiastic” actors and “amiable” team members who had faith in the production.

Additionally, Garland elaborated on the movie’s disco dancing sequence, in which the eccentric billionaire Nathan (portrayed by Isaac) unexpectedly starts to dance with his robotic companion, portrayed by Sonoya Mizuno.

The director explained that the popular dance scene in “Ex Machina” was included as a way to counteract the repetitiveness he noticed in his earlier movie, “Never Let Me Go.” He stated, “I felt compelled to introduce some disruption into the film due to ‘Never Let Me Go’.”

Garland clarified that the purpose of his dance was merely to change the mood, and he expressed this intention right from the start. He explained further, “I aimed to alter the atmosphere. As it turned out, it became a GIF.”

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2024-08-19 17:38