She's one of Hollywood's most respected actors, having starred in a slew of critically acclaimed films and staying out of scandal.
Yet when was starting out she felt pitted against her younger brother Jake, admitting she was 'envious' of his success.
Maggie, 48, arguably spent some of her career in her brother's shadow, favouring low-budget indie projects while Jake, 45, saw his star power rise with a string of blockbuster roles.
But now, the power is in Maggie's hands, having pivoted to work behind the camera.
After impressing with her 2021 directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, Maggie has taken a leap with her new project, The Bride! which tells the story of Frankenstein's monster (Christian Bale) and his 'bride' (Jessie Buckley).
Described as a bold and feminist reimagining of the classic Frankenstein story, Maggie revealed she wanted to 'express herself' through the project, noting that women were typically expected to make 'cute little movies' rather than big budget epics.
Advertisement
Why Maggie Gyllenhaal is finally ready to release her 'inner monster' after admitting she was 'envious' of younger brother Jake's success (pictured at The Bride! premiere)
She also wanted to delve into the 'inner monster' we all have, telling Empire of her film: 'I believe that every single one of us has a monstrous vein inside us. And by monstrous, I mean really monstrous. I mean terrifying to look at. You keep it hidden.
'And so in my story, the monsters are monstrous. Even in the trailer, they do really awful things, and that’s just the beginning of it, honestly.
'And at the same time, they are heroes. And I hope that they’re relatable, even if they’ve been brought back from the dead. They’re in a lot of pain, like all of us are.'
Indeed, Maggie knows pain, having to fight to be accepted by an industry that told her she 'wasn't sexy enough' at auditions.
Advertisement
She said the sexist lambasting of her looks was 'hard to hear', as was being labelled 'quirky' instead, because: 'describing someone as quirky is a way of erasing them.'
Maggie also rallied against the constant comparisons to her younger brother.
The siblings, born into the industry as the children of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Achs, both began their career in childhood with small roles in their father's films.
Yet stardom soon beckoned for Jake, who made his breakthrough as the leading man in the 1999 Homer Hickam biopic October Sky, swiftly followed by the titular role in Donnie Darko and then a string of Hollywood blockbusters.
For Maggie, it wasn't until 2002's Secretary that she made her breakthrough, and she began to worry that there wouldn't be 'enough room', for herself and her brother in Hollywood.
'I don’t think I knew that at first, when I was young and Jake was a movie star right away,' she told The New York Times last week. 'I don’t think I was in touch with the envy, but it was there.'
Advertisement
Maggie, 48, arguably spent some of her career in her brother's shadow, with indie projects while Jake, 45, saw his star power rise with a string of blockbuster roles (pictured in 2005)
The siblings have publicly supported each other and recently worked together in The Bride! It marks the first time Maggie has directed Jake (pictured at the photocall last week)
On her mission to empower female-led stories and films, she told The Times: 'I think women make movies differently to men, I think women write books differently to men, and still it's so rare for women to be given a chance to direct movies of major scope.
'I think it's interesting to see the work that comes out of us being given that opportunity.
'I'm so glad that I am directing. I don't know if I would have been totally sustained my entire life just as an actress. Now I feel like I'm constantly climbing mountains and learning things. It's nice to shift.'
