Director Dan Gilroy (L) and actor Jake Gyllenhaal are photographed during the LA Junket for the film "Nightcrawler" in Los Angeles October 11, 2014. In the new crime thriller "Nightcrawler," Gyllenhaal plays gaunt sociopath Lou Bloom, who trawls the stree
Director Dan Gilroy (L) and actor Jake Gyllenhaal are photographed during the LA Junket for the film "Nightcrawler" in Los Angeles October 11, 2014. In the new crime thriller "Nightcrawler," Gyllenhaal plays gaunt sociopath Lou Bloom, who trawls the streets of Los Angeles to film horrific crime scenes for use in early morning local television news. But inside Bloom's introverted, oddball self lies someone with an intense desire to find success in the corporate world. To tap into the primitive quality of Lou and his hunger, the actor decided to lose weight and use his own actual hunger at night for his scenes. Picture taken October 11, 2014. REUTERS/Phil McCarten Reuters/Phil McCarten

Jake Gyllenhaal recently talked about the deceased Heath Ledger during an interview for his new film “Everest” at the Venice Film Festival. The actor recalled their fun times and admitted that he misses the actor tremendously.

The actor’s return to Venice prompted thoughts of his late co-star as it was also in the city where he and Heath promoted their award-winning film “Brokeback Mountain” back in 2005. According to Mirror UK, Jake struggled during his visit to Venice since it reminded him of Ledger. Despite the excitement, the “Everest” star said he also felt an overwhelming feeling of melancholy and sadness during his return to Venice.

“I miss him very badly. Not having Heath around is very sad because I miss his expression and miss the conversations that we had over the years,” he said.

Ledger was only 28 when he died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. He was still reeling on the success of his portrayal of The Joker in “The Dark Knight Returns” and was still filming a new project when the tragedy struck. However, his loss reportedly changed Jake for the better, and Heath’s death also gave him a valuable lesson about life.

“Knowing that life is fragile makes you want to appreciate meaningful things and stop wasting time on things that are trivial and superficial. It made me want to be more present in everyday life and be as much in the moment as I can be. It’s made me see life as being much more precious than I was ever consciously aware of before and that has made a big difference with me,” Jake said.

Jake previously told NPR's Terry Gross back in July about how he misses working with Heath and how he misses him as a human being. According to People, the actor opened up about Ledger and called him “incredibly special.”

During his interview at the Venice Film Festival, Jake also talked about family life. He expressed his excitement about being a father one day. He also talked about his love for his two nieces and wanting to spend more time with his father.

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