Jimmy Fallon, that Jackson not only facepalmed, he followed up by telling Gyllenhaal, "You are the worst actor I've ever seen."

Gyllenhaal tells the story so well. It sounds like he didn't even really want the role, but his agents were so pumped about the idea of him being a hobbit, they sent him to the audition with no information, failing to even tell him that he was supposed to be British. That's apparently what Peter Jackson said, after calling him the worst actor; he asked Gyllenhaal, "Did anyone tell you that you were supposed to have an accent?" Gyllenhaal said, "I was like 'No.' He was like, 'Well, fire your agents.'" But they were so excited for him!

JGyll said he's had a lot of bad, failed auditions over the years, including one for "Dude, Where's My Car" (which Fallon declared "a classic," for some reason). Watch the video to hear the actor's super-serious take on the role.

It's a good thing Jake Gyllenhaal has been able to establish himself with some amazing roles -- including in "Nightcrawler," "Zodiac," "Southpaw," "Prisoners," and "Brokeback Mountain" -- or we might have to believe he was the worst.

And just for fun, watch Gyllenhaal with Fallon in this ridiculous "Point Pleasant Police Department" sketch:

His new movie "Demolition" opens April 8.

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