For me, good posture correlates strongly with physical health and, to a lesser extent, youth. In Maggie’s case, her poor bent posture instantly associates in my mind “smoker”, “out of shape”, “crash diet”, “illness” all of which may or may not be true. It also makes her look 20 years older than she is.
All of these qualities were actually considered attractive from a 1930s Hollywood frame of reference (slouchy raspy-voiced time-worn chain-smokers), so maybe people find her attractive because it evokes the old classic perceptions of past beauties?
I thought she was very attractive in Secretary. I thought she was very unattractive in Dark Knight, which was amplified by the fact that her beauty was supposed to be often remarked upon in Gotham. She just wasn’t right for the part - she wasn’t quite attractive enough and seemed a bit gawky and awkward for a character that was supposed to be very competent and self assured.
Ditto. She reminds me a lot of my girlfriend who (I hope never reads this) is by no means conventionally cute, but has an appealing and quirky look, a cute “plainness” if you will. Oh, and a great smile.
Heh. Reminds me of hearing someone in an opera sing about how young, tiny, delicate, and beautiful the heroine is – when you’re actually witnessing a solidly healthy 40-ish soprano belting out high notes above a 100 piece orchestra. Cognitive dissonance at its finest.
Of course, you expect to have to suspend disbelief at the opera. But movies usually go for more realistic casting (the fantastic comic book plot line notwithstanding). So, I agree – the miscasting of Maggie in this role distracting.
Conceding that beauty standards are very much culturally induced and change drastically over time (just look at prints of Titian nudes from the 16th century), I don’t think anyone would describe Gyllenhaal as beautiful by contemporary standards. Nevertheless, I find her extremely attractive. She’s tall; she has a wonderful smile; she’s smart and quirky and has just enough of an edge to her to make her irresistible.
What I or anyone else thinks, however, doesn’t really matter. She’s been married to the actor Peter Sarsgaard since 2009 and they have two children together. At this point, only Sarsgaard’s opinion counts.
I’ve always gotten a stuck up vibe from her. Last year she did a tremendously awkward phone interview with Kevin & Bean and came across as even more insufferable than I’d imagined. I felt vindicated when the next days’ broadcast began with a list of all the awful things that day’s schedule held, topped with “& the best thing about today? No Maggie Gylynnhal.” I couldn’t agree more. Condescending slumpy bitch.
I prefer younger women and Ms. Gyllenhaal is already 2.5 years older than when OP complained. :o
But the thread reminded me of Elisa Moolecherry whose still pictures aren’t impressive, but who captivates me with her facial expressions when she acts.
Thirding GargoyleWB and Snowboarder Bo, good posture is extremely important to me, representing health and desirability on a deep, instinctual level, while poor posture is equally offputting. Aside from that, Maggie Gyllenhaal is zombie ugly, as far as past or present Hollywood actresses go. I think she’s not even average among any random set of healthy, lean, 20 - 45 y.o. women. She looks like Droopy the Dog. A smoker’s voice is a huge turnoff, too.
Yes! This is such a big part of it. She could be kind quirky cute, but she has that hunched back, rolled shoulders, and droopy posture. Cat Whisperer nailed it with “slumpy”.