Jake Gyllenhaal has insisted he was “being sarcastic” about his controversial bathing comments.
The Nightcrawler actor made waves in August when he stated during an interview with Vanity Fair that he didn’t believe regular showering was “necessary” and that humans “naturally clean ourselves”.
However, Jake has since clarified that he was joking about his bathing habits, and does in fact take showers.
"I don’t know what it was. I answered a question where I was being sarcastic and ironic, and it’s followed me around,” he stated at a recent screening of his new thriller film The Guilty, according to Buzzfeed, before adding jokingly: “Unfortunately, I showered before I came here…I’m sorry.”
In the original interview, which was conducted to promote his gig as the face of Prada’s Luna Rossa Ocean fragrance, Jake seemed to indicate that he didn't bathe everyday.
“More and more I find bathing to be less necessary, at times,” the 40-year-old commented during the chat. “I do believe, because Elvis Costello is wonderful, that good manners and bad breath get you nowhere. So I do that. But I do also think that there’s a whole world of not bathing that is also really helpful for skin maintenance, and we naturally clean ourselves.”