Jake Gyllenhaal has recently been moving in a 'darker' direction with his performance in movies such as "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and "Love & Other Drugs" but he may have provided the 'performance of his career' in the "Nightcrawler". 
In the role the handsome actor plays a sociopath who races around at night filming footage of brutal crime scenes to sell to the morning news. It seems being 'dark' and complex has its rewards because his acting performance in the movie is being landed as the best of his career.
He revealed in an interview with Indiewire Award Season spotlight that his character is morally corrupt and how the film speaks to a generation of people who have been "taught that you do anything to succeed, and if you can get away with it, then it is a success," (Indiewire - January 9, 2014).
His performance, including his incredible weight loss which left him looking gaunt after he lost more than 20 pounds to play the role has earned him a Golden Globe Awards nomination which very likely will be followed up with Oscar nominations.
He is emerging as a serious 'dark' dramatic leading man star emerging in Hollywood. He can be referred to as 'new' in that the actor is not playing the 'hero' roles but instead is playing challenging, morally corrupt individuals who leave fans shocked with their actions.
The decision to expand his acting profile to these characters has been a brilliant one as it has enabled him to show fans his superb acting range.
Jake Gyllenhaal's 'dark' acting turn has made him a potential best actor winner on the 2015 Awards circuit and helped reaffirm his status as one of the most talented leading men actors in Hollywood.
Jake Gyllenhaal creating laughs in "Accidental Love"
