Jake Gyllenhaal revealed in a recent interview with Howard Stern for his SiriusXM radio show that he auditioned for multiple major roles in the past and almost booked.

The Road House actor shared that he auditioned for Baz Luhrmann’s movie musical Moulin Rouge. 

The role ultimately went to Ewan McGregor, but Gyllenhaal said that the nominated actors for the role were McGregor, the late Heath Ledger and himself.

Gyllenhaal admitted that he was disappointed by the rejection as he was very close for the role, but later Luhrmann cast him for the Playlist in July 2022.

Gyllenhaal said, “In the end, you have to, you learn to go, ‘There’s another one’. Like, I can try and go in and audition for another one. I’ll get something else. I mean, that’s the thing. You keep that attitude.”

Stern then referred to the role of Batman that Gyllenhaal missed, in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy  and said, “But I imagine that disappointment after putting on the Batman suit…” The radio host continued, “Then who calls you to say ‘No, they gave it to Christian [Bale]’ after all that prep and everything you put into it?”

Before signing off from the conversation Gyllenhaal also explained the selection process to Stern as well and said, “When you get that far, there’s a real legitimacy to you potentially getting something, “It’s not like they’re going, ‘Oh, thanks so much.’ They’re going, ‘I saw these aspects of you that I really wanted in the role, and I think are wonderful. But in the end, I ended up moving this way because it matches…better with this person who’s opposite you or would be opposite you.’”