Jake Gyllenhaal Reveals to Stephen Colbert the Fellow Famous Actor He Asked for an Autograph

Jake Gyllenhaal welcomed Stephen Colbert back to The Late Show on Tuesday, taking the host’s infamous Colbert Questionert. The game finds Colbert asking a series of 15 set questions—such as “Apples or oranges?” and “Window or aisle?”—to a particularly famous guest. Previously, George Clooney and Meryl Streep sat for rounds in the hot seat.

“Have you ever asked someone for their autograph?” is the question that most consistently elicits the best answer, and Gyllenhaal was no slouch. He very earnestly explained that he had asked John C. Reilly for his autograph over 20 years ago, when the Step Brothers star was appearing in a play with Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

“He was doing True West on Broadway with Phil, and I was a huge fan, obviously, of both of them,” Gyllenhaal recounted. “I had brought my mother meringues, I was meeting her for dinner, and he was eating at the other table.”

He continued: “I just geeked out. It was incredible. I just had this impulse, and I took one of the meringues and walked over to his table. Like, why would he ever eat a meringue a stranger gave him?” the actor laughed.

When they met, in spring 2000, Gyllenhaal had been acting for nearly a decade but hadn’t had his big break with Donnie Darko (2001). He had most recently led the teen drama October Sky (1999).

“I’m just a huge fan of you and I just wanted to give you a meringue,’” Gyllenhaal recalled stammering to Reilly. “And I was wondering if I could have your autograph.”

Reilly was more than happy to oblige, and not the least bit cautious about eating a stranger’s meringue. “He was really nice, and then he walked away with the meringue,” Gyllenhaal marveled to Colbert. “I thought, ‘Is he gonna eat that?’ And he ate it!”

While his actions may sound slightly eccentric, Gyllenhaal reasonably explained to his host how his respect for Reilly overshadowed any common sense. “I had so much admiration for him as an actor, and for what him and Phil did,” the Road House brawler said. “I just couldn’t not give him one of the meringues I brought for my mom.”

You can watch Gyllenhaal's full Colbert Questionert below.