Maggie Gyllenhaal was given “a total gift” by having her brother Jake Gyllenhaal and husband Peter Sarsgaard on the set of her next directorial effort The Bride!

In the actress-turned-director’s monster movie musical, which is inspired by the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, Christian Bale plays Frankenstein’s monster, who asks a doctor to create a companion for him.

They give life to a murdered woman, played by Jessie Buckley, sparking romance, police interest and radical social change.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Gyllenhaal admitted it was “a gift” to have her husband Peter on set as a detective to support her while she made her first big-budget project.

“I felt so supported by both the beautiful work he did for the movie and by just having him on set,” she gushed. “It was a huge movie with such a massive scope, and just having him around with his vulnerable, beautiful heart was such a gift to me. He made that character into someone who’s both kind of awful and a hero. He’s a character who makes a huge change.”

As for her brother Jake, Gyllenhaal praised him for being “so generous” with his time and fitting in her movie around his hectic schedule.

“Jake was like almost like icing on the cake, right? He came in, and we fit him in when he was available, and he wore this great tuxedo; he danced, and he sang,” she teased. “He was so funny, so generous, so loving, and such a pleasure to have on set.”

The Secretary actress noted that she loves working with both of them, adding, “These are really brilliant actors. It’s a total gift to have them.”

Jake and Maggie previously starred alongside each other in 2001’s Donnie Darko, meanwhile, she appeared alongside Peter in the 2020 musical Best Summer Ever. He also had a significant role in her 2021 directorial debut The Lost Daughter.

The Bride!, which also stars Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz and Julianne Hough, will be released in cinemas in March 2026.

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