Gyllenhaal makes a peculiar and quite interesting observation about the particular world of the The Great British Bake Off: “There’s somewhat of a perversion to it, in that you can never, ever taste nor smell what it is that you see. You can watch people build Legos, you don’t need to smell Legos. You don’t need to taste them, you can watch it. But when you watch somebody build like a tiramisu… You’re never gonna taste that! No. You’re never gonna taste that! And all you have is someone describing it to you. You know, it’s Mary Berry and other hosts that tell you, and they’re experts, and that’s great. But there’s something about it that I think, particularly as a Brit, you might find very interesting.”

As for television, the Gyllenhaals did enjoy one show to the end, at least for one season. “Beverly Hills 90120, I remember seeing the first season with my sister [actress Maggie Gyllenhaal], and staying up late,” he said.