Jake Gyllenhaal says accepting his role in whitewashed Prince of Persia movie was a mistake

During a press tour for Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jake Gyllenhaal admitted that his role in the whitewashed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was a mistake.

When asked if his role in Prince of Persia soured his feelings for blockbuster movies in an interview with Yahoo, Gyllenhaal confessed that the role wasn't a great fit.

"I think I learned a lot from that movie in that I [now] spend a lot of time trying to be very thoughtful about the roles that I pick and why I'm picking them," Gyllenhaal said.

Critics slammed Prince of Persia for casting Gyllenhaal, a white person, in the role that should have gone to a person of Iranian descent. In the interview, Gyllenhaal subtly acknowledged this:

"And you're bound to slip up and be like, 'That wasn't right for me,' or 'That didn't fit perfectly.' There have been a number of roles like that. And then a number of roles that do."

Prince of Persia is largely considered a misfire – and whitewashing aside, here's why the movie wasn't easy to make. Spider-Man: Far From Home opens July 2.