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Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard on Sept. 9, 2023
Marriage between two working actors has its own set of challenges.
When Peter Sarsgaard, 53, sat down with PEOPLE recently to discuss his new movie September 5, the actor, who is married to Maggie Gyllenhaal, said he purposefully takes on fewer roles for his family’s sake while sharing that that he and Gyllenhaal, 47, “take turns in terms of our work.”
“I think at one point I used to think that I would work more if I could. But I think that’s wrong,” he says. “I think I would’ve done a lot more things that I was not proud of. So when I say yes to do something, it’s some type of sacrifice for me. Not a big one. Everyone else has got bigger sacrifices in the world, but just talking artistically — I can’t work constantly. I have a whole other life. I have a family.”
Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal first met at a dinner in 2001. The couple began dating by 2002, and their rep told PEOPLE exclusively in 2006 that they were engaged and expecting their first child together. They married in May 2009 and share two daughters: Ramona, 18, and Gloria Ray, 13.
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Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal on Oct. 19, 2024
The actor points to meeting September 5 director Tim Fehlbaum for the first time as an example of his approach to choosing projects. He portrays Roone Arledge, the late ABC News executive, in the movie, a recollection of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Olympics in Germany from the perspective of the ABC Sports broadcast team. “I am not shy about kicking the tires and making sure he’s as serious as I am about making this thing the best thing it can be,” Sarsgaard says.
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“But I don’t know if I have couple advice,” he adds. “I think every couple is as unique as every person. I think it would be a lot more difficult to be married to someone who had a more consistent type of employment in one place.”
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Peter Sarsgaard and Maggie Gyllenhaal on Sept. 7, 2024
Both Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal have enjoyed successful acting careers. Gyllenhaal has even dipped her toes into directing with 2021’s The Lost Daughter, which her husband appeared in. She is currently working on a new film titled The Bride, which is based on Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein and also features Sarsgaard and her brother Jake Gyllenhaal alongside leads Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley.
“I’ve seen several cuts of it and I just think it’s absolutely phenomenal,” Sarsgaard tells PEOPLE. “I can’t wait for people to see it.”
September 5 is in limited theaters now and expands everywhere Jan. 17.
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