Inside the Gyllenhaal family's turbulent dynasty as Maggie opens up about her complicated relationship with younger brother Jake

The Gyllenhaal name is one that commands respect in showbiz circles. 

While originating from Swedish nobility, in recent years the Gyllenhaals have been known for their work in Hollywood, with siblings Maggie and Jake both acclaimed for the acting skills. 

Their parents Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs are also renowned in the industry, with Stephen a successful director, while Naomi is a respected screenwriter.

Yet while one might expect a family involved in the same business to be incredibly tightknit, the Gyllenhaals' shared passions have in fact led to fallouts. 

Last week, Maggie, 48, opened up about her sibling rivalry with Jake, 45, admitting that she was 'envious' of his success in the early days and that the pair weren't always close. 

Speaking about the fear that there wouldn't be 'enough room', for herself and her brother in Hollywood, Maggie shared: 'I don’t think I knew that at first, when I was young and Jake was a movie star right away. 

'I don’t think I was in touch with the envy, but it was there.'

Jake has previously touched on their sibling rivalry, telling The Guardian in 2011: 'She [Maggie] was always telling me what to do. I always lost – no matter what. 

'We would put on a performance of Cats and I would be the poor lone cat sitting in the corner while my sister performed. I never got to be the star.' 

Yet he insisted this was no longer the case, as he added: 'But I really don't feel that competition any more. We are very different people. We care about seeing each other, we want to inspire each other.'

Jake and Maggie first worked together in 2001's Donnie Darko, in which Jake had the titular role and Maggie a supporting part. 

Yet the release of Maggie's film The Bride! marks the first time she has directed her sibling, with the actress-turned-director admitting she cried when he agreed to take a part in her film because it 'meant so much for me to interact with him.' 

She explained to the New York Times: 'In the past, I’ve had to be separate from my family, from my brother... I think it was just a really honest, vulnerable, what’s underneath rage, reaching out. 

'Just basically saying, "I want to interact, and I know that this is a place where we can do it." I’m not asking him to do something that he can’t do. I’m making an offer, which is a generous thing to do.'

Maggie added: 'We’ve never been as close as we are now. We’re finally, maybe in the last five years, more and more and more, even each day, really interacting, which is hard for people to do.'

Working with loved ones is something that Maggie has been conscious of after witnessing the breakdown of her parents' marriage after collaborating. 

'I don’t think that them working together caused their separation, but I don’t think it was good for them,' she mused. 'It was a bad idea. And they did it a few times.' 

Despite this, Maggie has worked with her husband Peter Sarsgaard numerous times, yet confessed it was 'complicated' dynamic, adding: 'it was hard and awesome.'

The pair met in 2001 and wed five years later. They are parents to daughters Ramona, 19, and Gloria, 13.

Yet she has spoken about the impact her parents' divorce had on her. 

She told The Telegraph: 'It wasn’t like they were a quietly sad couple. They were very tempestuous and for a long time I felt that was what love was supposed to be like.'

Meanwhile, for Jake - his parents' divorce allowed him to reevaluate his life. 

He told PEOPLE: 'It allowed me to be more honest with myself. There was a sense of two people who said "What is our truth?" 

'It was painful for a lot of people in our family, but that honesty was inspiring.'

Jake has previously expressed his desire to start his own family, saying: 'That's all I want - is to be a good husband and a father… that really is what I want.

'Now that I have fulfilled a lot of things in my career that I feel comfortable with, I can safely say that. I don't know if I could have said that before.'

If Jake were to have a child of his own they would be linked to King Edward III, through his father's family line, which is a noble family of Swedish and English ancestry.

This royal linkage makes Jake and Maggie 19th cousins to the late Queen Elizabeth II.