“The Real Thing” at the Beatrice Inn. Graydon Carter and Tom Stoppard hosted a dinner for guests including Christine Baranski, who played Charlotte in the original 1984 Broadway production, and Cynthia Nixon, who played Baranski’s daughter.
Jake joined the party which included Stephen Sondheim, Victor Garber, Robert Caro, Gay Talese and Fran Lebowitz.
This time Cynthia Nixon will play Charlotte with Maggie and Ewan McGregor joining her in the revival that opens at the end of the month. Previews begin this week.
Jake did some reading of his own and for a good cause as others joined him this evening for Words of War to benefit the Headstrong Project for War Veteran's.
Just announced two-time Olivier Award winner Ruth Wilson will star opposite Jake in the American premiere of Constellations. Jake is Roland a beekeeper, Wilson will play Marianne, a physicist.
Wilson will make her Broadway debut in Constellations having previously won Olivier Awards for Anna Christie and A Streetcar Named Desire. She received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for the 2006 television adaptation of Jane Eyre. Other screen credits include Luther and the upcoming Showtime series The Affair.
I would like to see a DC vs Baltimore World Serious. Could get a little crazy around here if we have a SF vs KC battle :))))))
ReplyDeleteIt very much looks like Jake is trying to turn up the classy image. They must think he has a decent chance at an Oscar nomination.
ReplyDeleteSteve Carell, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumerbatch are shoo ins for Oscar noms. The 5th spot is up for grabs. Look for some heavy PR.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Julianne Moore is the favorite for Best Actress but Reese is right there. Having already won one hurts Reese's chances and Julianne has not but is long overdue.
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ReplyDeleteJake Gyllenhaal, Seth Meyers, Adam Driver Fundraise for Veterans at The Headstrong Project Benefit
October 2, 2014 | 04:01PM PT
Michael Tedder
@mtedder
When Zach Iscol returned from his service in the Unites States Marine Corps a decade ago, he couldn’t help but notice that many of his friends were suffering, either from lack of access to care, or a complete inability to deal with the psychological trauma, often including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that soldiers often encounter in warfare.
“I don’t know anyone who has served in the last ten years who doesn’t know somebody who has died by suicide,” Iscol told Variety at Wednesday’s Words of War Benefit, a fundraiser for the Headstrong Project, held at Tribeca 360.
The Headstrong Project works with the Weill Cornell Medical College to create mental healthcare programs designed to help soldiers deal with what the organization calls “the hidden wounds” of war. Iscol, the program’s executive director, said he and his friends were “perplexed and a bit outraged” to discover that soldiers were often facing unreasonable waiting periods to get help from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“And so, maybe somewhat naively, we set out to build a program that provides completely cost free, bureaucracy free, and confidential mental healthcare treatment to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans,” Iscol said during his speech at the fundraiser. Iscol, who is also the founder and CEO of career guidance company Hire Purpose, said that Headstrong has been so effective that one doesn’t even necessarily have to have served in the military to get help from the program; since no identification or paperwork is required, the only thing needed to get help is a desire to feel better.
During his remarks, Iscol also said that he’s heard from mental health workers who, as a rule, never give out their phone numbers that they now regularly give veterans their numbers and receive calls during especially difficult time periods, like the holidays.
In addition to dinner (pear salad, and steak fillets served family style) and auction items (a jersey signed by soccer legend Pelé, glasses from Warby Parker and New York Knicks tickets), Words of War featured appropriately-themed entertainment. Performing for an audience that included Seth Meyers and former Marine-turned-actor Adam Driver, writer and veteran Gerardo Mena read a poem written by Gary Johnston, a solider who was killed in action, and actor Jake Gyllenhaal, whom Iscol called a great friend to the organization, gave an impassioned reading of a poem by serviceman Derrick Brown titled “You Will Be Destroyed in Your Own Way.” Also, Anthony Edwards, David Strathairn and Lili Taylor performed the Japanese Noh play “Fujito,” which tells the story of a mother grieving the death of her son, who was killed in action.
“I think our community is becoming much more comfortable talking about these real issues. A lot of them are stepping to get help, a lot of them are stepping forward to get their friends help. I think all of us are starting to really take this seriously. I do think that in terms of challenging the stigma, we are making progress,” Iscol told Variety. The event raised $400,000 for the Headstrong Project.