Seth Rogen was not initially confident about Jake Gyllenhaal’s iconic performance in the 2001 film Donnie Darko. The cult classic, which performed poorly at the box office, went on to earn more than $10 million in U.S. home video sales. And one of the crucial elements of Richard Kelly’s directorial debut was Gyllenhaal’s performance.

The actor gave an incredible performance that is still much talked about today. However, Rogen, who made his acting debut in the film, was not convinced when he first saw the actor’s performance for one reason.

Seth Rogen appeared in The New York Times’ oral history of the movie. He played the role of the bully, Ricky Danforth, in the film, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this October. Speaking about Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as Donnie Darko, Rogen said that while the actor was impressive, it also confused him.

“I remember seeing [Gyllenhaal] on set and being like, ‘I don’t know how this is going to land,’” he said. “He wasn’t playing this charming version of it.”

The actor further mentioned during the interview for the oral history that he found it hard to believe how Gyllenhaal put so much thought into understanding and portraying the character of a moody and troubled teenager. He added that there was a risk in such a performance, sharing that it could either make the film a failure or turn it into a success. While the sci-fi film initially struggled at the box office, it did not take long for the movie to find its audience.

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Now, while the movie has achieved immense success and helped open doors of opportunity for its cast members, there are still people who have trouble understanding its concept, including Noah Wyle.

Noah Wyle can easily understand complicated cases as Dr. Robby in The Pitt, but he has yet to understand Donnie Darko. More than two decades later, the actor has revealed that he still does not understand the movie. In his conversation with PEOPLE, he also shared his first impression of reading the script.

"Confusing, but super cool,” he said.

However, Wyle admitted that he is impressed by the movie's success. After being approached by Drew Barrymore, he took on the role of Dr. Kenneth Monnitoff in the film. While he may not have understood what the film conveyed through its complicated characters and situations, Wyle has fond memories of filming his scenes for the movie.

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What do you think about Seth Rogen's initial doubts about Jake Gyllenhaal's performance? Let us know in the comments.