Jake Gyllenhaal has broken his silence on Taylor Swift's "Red," three months after the beloved album's rerelease.
"It is her expression. Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don't begrudge anyone that," Gyllenhaal said in a recent interview with Esquire.
Swift's fourth album "Red" was originally released in 2012. It is widely assumed to be inspired by Gyllenhaal, whom Swift briefly dated in 2010, when she was 20 and he was 29. In particular, fans believe the breakup anthem "All Too Well" points to their relationship.
"Red (Taylor's Version)" arrived last November, including a 10-minute version of "All Too Well" that features new details about Swift's heartbreak at the hands of an older man.
The song set the internet ablaze with memes and theories, especially after Swift unveiled a short film filled with Easter eggs and delivered an impassioned performance on "Saturday Night Live."
However, Gyllenhaal said the public's interest in the song has "nothing to do with me."
"It's about her relationship with her fans," he told Esquire.
Asked if he's listened to the album, Gyllenhaal simply responded: "No."
The "Ambulance" actor also offered some broad musings about the nature of celebrity and its relationship to "cyberbullying."
"At some point, I think it's important when supporters get unruly that we feel a responsibility to have them be civil and not allow for cyberbullying in one's name," he said.
"That begs for a deeper philosophical question," he continued. "Not about any individual, per se, but a conversation that allows us to examine how we can — or should, even — take responsibility for what we put into the world, our contributions into the world."
Although Gyllenhaal turned off his Instagram comments in the wake of "Red (Taylor's Version)," he said the reaction to the album hasn't been hard on him.
"I'm not unaware that there's interest in my life," he told Esquire. "My life is wonderful. I have a relationship that is truly wonderful, and I have a family I love so much. And this whole period of time has made me realize that."
Gyllenhaal is currently dating 25-year-old French model Jeanne Cadieu, while Swift is in a long-term relationship with actor Joe Alwyn.
