self-isolation

We’ll Allow Shirtless Handstands This One Time

Photo: @jakegyllenhaal/Instagram

As you may have noticed, celebrities are extremely bored.

So far, we’ve seen Ina Garten down a cocktail the size of her head at 9:30 a.m. and Britney Spears become the fastest human alive. On Thursday, another unexpected gift: Jake Gyllenhaal took his shirt off.

It wasn’t his idea. The day before, the English actor Tom Holland issued an internet “challenge,” meaning he did something innocuous and then forced three others to do it too. Gyllenhaal was one of them, plus Ryan Reynolds and another British guy named Harrison Osterfield.

Dubbed the “Handstand Challenge,” Holland’s task sounds relatively straightforward (and deeply boring), but as he demonstrated in a video posted to his Stories, he also required that the subject put a shirt on while hanging upside down. So, basically, he found a way to demonstrate hotness, strength, and style in one fell swoop. Okay, fine.

Gyllenhaal stepped up. He tied his hair back into a man-bun, put on some leggings, and gave Holland and the people what they wanted. As you can see, he is still wearing that little gold chain around his neck.

From left: Photo: @jakegyllenhaal/InstagramPhoto: @jakegyllenhaal/Instagram
From left: Photo: @jakegyllenhaal/InstagramPhoto: @jakegyllenhaal/Instagram
From left: Photo: @jakegyllenhaal/InstagramPhoto: @jakegyllenhaal/Instagram
From left: Photo: @jakegyllenhaal/InstagramPhoto: @jakegyllenhaal/Instagram

Not only did Gyllenhaal complete the task of putting on a shirt, (bravo), but he also did so while shouting out Russ & Daughters, a local New York restaurant in need of some love right now. He concluded by nominating Hugh Jackman, 50 Cent, and his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, to try the “Handstand Challenge” next, but I can confidently say that my interest in these shenanigans stops here. Thank you, Jake.

We’ll Allow Shirtless Handstands This One Time