Jake Gyllenhaal: 'Heartbreak has shaped me into who I am today'

Jake Gyllenhaal believes the heartbreak he has suffered over the years has made him a stronger person.

The 35-year-old actor has a string of famous exes, including Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift and Kirsten Dunst. But while all those relationships came to an end, Jake doesn't hold a grudge and instead considers the splits as life lessons which have moulded his personality.

“Right now we are all in one way or another in different stages experiencing heartbreak of different kinds. Socially, politically, in our own relationships,” he told Entertainment Tonight. "Over time, I think it's always those things, when we face them and we look at them, (that) make us stronger.

“Ultimately, you look back and say, not that you're glad for it, but that it shapes you into who you are."

Jake is currently promoting his new movie Nocturnal Animals in which he stars as Edward Sheffield in Tom Ford's movie - a man who has penned a novel entitled Nocturnal Animals dedicated to his ex-wife Susan Morrow, played by Amy Adams.

When it comes to real life though, Jake is a fan of leaving former relationships in the past.

"People sometimes ask me if Nocturnal Animals is about revenge, and I don't think it's about revenge at all. I don't think that's a solution, ever," he insisted.

The movie, which also stars Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer and Michael Sheen, has already been tipped for success during awards season.

And while Jake insists he isn't thinking too much about the Oscar buzz surrounding the film, he remains grateful that he earned one of the statuettes for his role in 2005's Brokeback Mountain.

“At the time that that happened to me, I was pretty young, and it was an extraordinary honor at that age. It's an extraordinary honor at any age," he said. "It's an incredible community of people. It puts you within a group of people, who you admire."