Spent Time Making Excuses for Hollywood's Absurdity: Jake Gyllenhaal

Los Angeles: Jake Gyllenhaal says he has spent a lot of time making excuses for the "absurdity" surrounding Hollywood, which was unmasked in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal.

The 37-year-old actor termed the expose as an insight into the "apparent sickness" of the international entertainment industry following the fall of the disgraced media mogul.

"I have spent a lot of time in my career making excuses for the absurdity of our world - Hollywood - and all of its confusion, apparent sickness over the past few months that we've discovered, the complications, the vanity," Gyllenhaal said on The Hollywood Reporter's 'Awards Chatter' podcast.

Citing his film, Brokeback Mountain as an example, the actor said despite witnessing the dark side of showbiz, he continues to have faith in the "power of movies".

"You know, you think about 'Brokeback' - I've had people come up to me over the years and say how that movie changed their life or how it made them realise something...

"But what I will never accept is anyone telling me that movies aren't an extraordinarily powerful tool for communication and ultimately, in a small way, for change. And sometimes in a big way," he said.