Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal has left Australian ice cream fans utterly bewildered after placing a highly unconventional gelato order during his time filming in Brisbane. The Oscar-nominated performer, aged 45, is currently in Australia shooting the comedy drama Honeymoon With Harry alongside veteran actor Kevin Costner.
An Unexpected Gelato Adventure
The Donnie Darko star took a brief hiatus from production to visit the renowned Gelato Messina establishment in Fortitude Valley, seeking a refreshing frozen dessert. However, rather than selecting either a traditional cup or cone to contain his gelato, Gyllenhaal opted for both simultaneously through a secret menu item known as a 'Unicorn.'
Social Media Investigation
Gelato Messina shared surveillance footage to its Instagram Story on Tuesday, capturing the actor at the counter dressed casually in a crisp white T-shirt and jeans, clutching a cup of gelato that intriguingly featured an inverted cone perched on top. According to reports from News.com.au, a staff member initially circulated an image from this footage through the company's internal Slack channel, prompting the brand's social media team to embark on detective work.
The establishment subsequently posted a second image zoomed in on Gyllenhaal's hand holding the mysterious purchase, accompanied by the caption: 'Us zooming in to see what he got.' A third image focused even closer on the gelato itself was captioned simply with: '????'
The Mystery Solved
The enigma was quickly resolved when store personnel confirmed the details of Gyllenhaal's order. Subsequent images verified that the actor selected a combination of Bounty, a popular Australian chocolate and coconut candy bar flavor, alongside Macadamia Crunch. His snack extravaganza did not conclude with the Unicorn alone, as he also departed with two one-litre tubs of gelato.
'Boots on the ground (asked the staff) and #confirmed Jake loves a unicorn (cone on top with a cup),' the brand announced through social media channels.
The Secret Menu Item Explained
A Gelato Messina spokesperson clarified that while not an official menu offering, the Unicorn represents a popular hack for indecisive customers torn between cup and cone options. 'Unicorns have always been a secret menu item that customers can order from any of our stores – order any scoop in a cup and ask for a cone on top,' they explained. 'Less mess, extra crunch, more fun. Unicorns are popular for our customers that have been with us since the beginning (2002) and great for kids.'
The spokesperson added that although staff were undoubtedly 'star-struck' upon encountering the Hollywood celebrity in their store, they successfully managed to 'play it cool.'
Current Projects and Personal Life
Gyllenhaal is presently filming Honeymoon With Harry in Brisbane alongside notable co-stars including Kevin Costner, Rita Ora, and Sarah Pidgeon. The film narrates the story of a man who embarks on his honeymoon with his father-in-law after his fiancée tragically passes away just two days before their scheduled wedding.
This Australian gelato incident follows Gyllenhaal's recent rare red carpet appearance with his long-term girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu at The Bride! premiere in London. Despite being romantically involved for eight years, public appearances together remain infrequent for the couple.
In February, the pair attended the world premiere of The Bride! at Cineworld Leicester Square, a film written and directed by his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal in which he portrays Ronnie Reed. The couple was later spotted together at the premiere afterparty at Bardo St James, where Gyllenhaal graciously signed autographs for enthusiastic fans.
Regarding his relationship with Cadieu, Gyllenhaal shared with The Hollywood Reporter last year: 'I'm not going to give you timing [about wedding bells]. I think we all get into that space of work, work, work, and for a long time my career took precedence. But I'm at a point in my life where I realise that family really is the only thing that matters to me.'
He revealed that he enjoys cooking with Jeanne and described their favorite date as attending KCRW's Good Food Pie Fest in Los Angeles in 2024, where they socialized with a pie-baking drag queen named Bertha and sampled dozens of pies. 'We got [tasting] tickets a month and a half early,' Gyllenhaal enthusiastically recounted. 'I was like, "Babe, we can go! We can go to the pie contest!"'
