Jake Gyllenhaal's 'The Covenant' Soars on Hulu as 'Donnie Darko' Co-Star Daveigh Chase Dies at 35
Jake Gyllenhaal is trending for two very different reasons this week. His 2023 war drama The Covenant has unexpectedly become one of Hulu's most-watched films, climbing to #6 on the platform's Top 10 Movies chart as of June 18, while news of the tragic death of his Donnie Darko co-star Daveigh Chase has reignited interest in the actor's early career.
Chase, best known for her roles in Lilo & Stitch, The Ring, and Spirited Away, died on June 16 at age 35 from complications related to bacterial meningitis and a blood infection. Her father confirmed the news to the New York Times, adding that she had also battled drug addiction and homelessness in recent years. Chase played Samantha Darko, the younger sister to Gyllenhaal's troubled Donnie in the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko.
Meanwhile, The Covenant, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Gyllenhaal as U.S. Army Master Sgt. John Kinley, has finally found its audience on streaming after a disappointing theatrical run. According to data from FlixPatrol, the film — which carries a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes — is surging in popularity on Hulu three years after its release.
Why This Matters: A Tale of Two Jake Gyllenhaal Moments
The Covenant's Long Road to Success
Released in April 2023, The Covenant tells the story of a U.S. Army sergeant who survives a Taliban ambush thanks to his Afghan interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim). When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family have been denied safe passage to America, he defies government orders and returns to the war zone to rescue them.
Despite positive reviews — an 82% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and near-universal audience praise — the film grossed only $21.9 million against a $55 million budget. It faced stiff competition from The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Evil Dead Rise, finishing third in its opening weekend. The film moved to streaming within three weeks of its theatrical release.
Now, three years later, audiences are discovering what critics praised at the time: Ritchie's unexpected sensitivity in handling a war story, combined with Gyllenhaal's intense performance. The film's theme of loyalty and sacrifice appears to be resonating with a broader streaming audience. Ritchie and Gyllenhaal have since reunited for the 2026 action thriller In the Grey, also starring Henry Cavill and Eiza González.
Remembering Daveigh Chase
Chase's death at 35 has cast a spotlight on her early collaborations with Gyllenhaal. In Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko, she played the curious and ultimately crucial younger sister Samantha, whose innocence stands in stark contrast to the film's dark themes of time travel and mental illness. The movie has since become a defining cult touchstone of the early 2000s.
Chase went on to voice Lilo in Disney's Lilo & Stitch, earning an Annie Award for voice acting, and portrayed the terrifying Samara Morgan in The Ring. She also voiced the English-language Chihiro in Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Her range from innocent child roles to horror icon made her one of the most versatile young actors of her generation.
However, her adult years were marked by struggles. Her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, told TMZ he set up a GoFundMe shortly before her death, describing her difficult childhood, a painful falling out with her family, and years of homelessness. Hernandez wrote that doctors had described her condition as "critical" before her body shut down from septic issues.
Perspective: What These Two News Events Tell Us About Hollywood's Cycles
The simultaneous prominence of these two stories highlights an uncomfortable truth about the entertainment industry: the same actor can experience a career renaissance on one front while mourning a loss from another era. For Gyllenhaal, the streaming success of The Covenant is a reminder that theatrical box office numbers don't always reflect a film's lasting impact. Audiences are increasingly discovering and appreciating films years after their initial release, especially through streaming platforms.
Chase's tragic death, meanwhile, underscores the precarious nature of child stardom. Despite achieving remarkable success by age 12 — voicing a Disney princess, starring in a horror franchise, and appearing alongside Gyllenhaal in an indie classic — her later years were defined by hardship, addiction, and homelessness. Her story serves as a cautionary tale about the pressures and fallout that young actors often face when the spotlight fades.
The cultural timing of these stories also intersects with broader trends. War dramas like The Covenant have seen a resurgence as streaming platforms become the primary venue for adult-oriented storytelling, while the public's appetite for nostalgic revisits to early-2000s films has kept Donnie Darko and its cast in the cultural conversation. In a sense, both narratives reflect how Hollywood's past is never really past — it re-emerges in streaming charts, in obituaries, in the digital footprints left behind by tragedy and rediscovery.
As audiences stream The Covenant and revisit Donnie Darko in the wake of Chase's passing, they are engaging with two different sides of Gyllenhaal's career: the blockbuster star of the 2020s and the indie actor of the early 2000s. The contrast is a reminder of how fleeting fame can be, and how the same industry that launches careers can also leave its most vulnerable participants behind.
For those interested in other streaming trends this summer, new releases are reshaping platform lineups, including PS Plus July 2026: 12 Games Leaving, Staggered Releases Confirmed. Meanwhile, the entertainment landscape continues to evolve as older films find new life on digital platforms — a trend that benefits both audiences and the legacy of actors like Chase.
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