Don’t start thinking up couple nicknames for Jake Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams yet. Though the two have been spotted out together multiple times in recent weeks—including at the Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martinez fight in New York City on June 9—sources tell Us Weekly they’re meeting for work and are just friends.
Rumors about the pair’s status have been picking up steam ever since early June, when they were seen having dinner together at Pittsburgh eatery Meat and Potatoes. A fan posted a picture of them on Instagram—and things took off from there.
An insider tells Us, however, that Gyllenhaal, 33, and McAdams, 35, are simply doing their due diligence to prepare for their new film, Southpaw, which stars the Nightcrawler actor as a boxer. “They’ve just been meeting about the movie…It’s really coming together,” the source says, noting that they have “good chemistry.” Adds another source: “Jake and Rachel are just friends.”
The Notebook alum does have some history with Gyllenhaal, though. Back in 2010, the A-listers were paired together as presenters at the Academy Awards.
As for their most recent outing to Madison Square Garden for the Cotto/Martinez match, where they were photographed arriving in the same car? “It’s research for the film,” the first source tells Us. “Jake’s been going to a few fights, and they’ve been meeting with the boxers…They were there to watch the fight and chat with the trainers and people involved with the sport.”
The insider says that Gyllenhaal (linked most recently to model Alyssa Miller) wants to really get into the mindset of a boxer, and has been spending a lot of time with director Antoine Fuqua. “Jake is totally behind the project,” the source shares.
Besides that, McAdams—who looked stunning at the fight in an embellished little black dress and heels—is dating someone else, the second insider tells Us. The two were seen engaging in PDA as recently as early May. (Her exes include Ryan Gosling and Michael Sheen.)
