Jake Gyllenhaal calls Donnie Darko ‘a film that changed my life’

Jake Gyllenhaal has celebrated the 20th anniversary of his cult hit Donnie Darko, remembering it as “a film that changed my life and my career”.

The 2001 sci-fi film stars the actor as the awkward teenager of the title, who befriends Frank, a figure in a bunny costume only he can see, who informs Donnie that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds

Sharing a photo of a folder containing the script and other documents and scraps of paper, he wrote on Instagram: “Pulled out my script and some artifacts from Donnie Darko… It was released 20 years ago today.

“It’s a film that changed my life and my career and it’s been unreal to watch this story find afterlives with new audiences and new generations, and yet, what Donnie said to Roberta Sparrow is still true: “there is so much to look forward to.”

“Thank you to all the fans who’ve come up to me over the years with that confused look on their faces and asked me: ‘what the f**k is Donnie Darko about??’

“Happy 20th Donnie! Let’s keep confusing people. Here’s to 20 more.”

The film, which also starred his sister Maggie, offered Gyllenhaal a break-out role and he has gone on to star in films such as Brokeback Mountain, for which he was nominated for an Oscar, Nightcrawler, Prisoners and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Watch: 5 things you didn’t know about Jake Gyllenhaal