Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal told Fox News over the weekend that watching his latest film, in which he portrays a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, made him feel “proud to be an American.”

The comment is smart and refreshing in an industry of performers who are quick to bash a country loved by millions of patriotic would-be moviegoers.

Gyllenhaal has never described himself as anything but politically liberal in interviews throughout his career.

His roles have ranged from a gay cowboy in the 2005 film “Brokeback Mountain” to a frustrated soldier in the Persian Gulf War in “Jarhead.”

He also masterfully played the addict brother of a soldier suffering from PTSD in 2009’s “Brothers,” which was set partially in Afghanistan and co-starred Tobey Maguire. His performance in 2014’s “Nightcrawler” was fantastic.

Gyllenhaal’s latest film “The Covenant” premiered on Friday, and it looks promising.

Its star certainly broke the “woke” Hollywood mold when he commented on it on Saturday.

Gyllenhaal told “Fox & Friends” that seeing the finished movie made him feel a sense of pride in his country.

The film is about a bond between an American soldier and his Afghan interpreter. After Gyllenhaal’s character returns home, he learns his friend — who had once saved his life on the battlefield — has been forsaken by the U.S. government and left to face the Taliban alone.

The character takes the steps he sees as necessary to get him to safety.

“I feel like America is made up of heroes, and sometimes reluctant ones, but that is our fabric. That is who we are,” he told Fox News host Will Cain during a joint interview with his co-star Dar Salim.

He said that after he read the script he immediately wanted to be part of the project.

Gyllenhaal made note of the realities interpreters faced for two decades — and are currently facing after Cain brought up the chaotic exit from Afghanistan two years ago at the hands of President Joe Biden.

The actor said the story told by director Guy Ritchie truly captures the best of what America represents.

“It is a movie about the best of what we can be,” Gyllenhaal said. “I walked out feeling proud to be an American and knowing what we can do and what we can be.”

It could be argued Gyllenhaal is savvy and was aware the interview with Fox offered him an opportunity to attract a large audience to come and see the film.

As we’ve seen in recent years, “wokeness” is box office poison, and films that pander to left-wing causes have been costing studios some huge money.

Gyllenhaal did recently work on the “woke” Disney box office bomb that was “Strange World.”

But perhaps he was being sincere and working on the movie opened his heart up to the realities of life away from pampered Hollywood.

None of this says a great deal about the state of the country when an actor is praised for simply expressing a sense of patriotism, but here we are.

Gyllenhaal rarely misses when choosing a film. If shooting this one was powerful enough to make him feel a sense of pride in his country, then it might be worth a watch.

Audience reviews have been almost overwhelmingly positive, so there’s that.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.