Jake Gyllenhaal knows all too well what it’s like to draw Swiftie ire. 

The actor in a new interview with Esquire commented for the first time on Taylor Swift’s song “All Too Well,” which is widely believed to be about the singer’s relationship with him. They dated in 2010, and the song was first released in 2012. But it was back in the spotlight last year after Swift released an extended 10-minute version featuring new lyrics and a music video. 

The 10-minute “All Too Well” and its additional lyrics theoretically inspired by Gyllenhaal prompted some of Swift’s fans to go after him on Instagram, in some cases also targeting his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Asked in the profile about the song and the ensuing firestorm, Gyllenhaal said, “It has nothing to do with me. It’s about her relationship with her fans.” He added, “It is her expression. Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don’t begrudge anyone that.” 

Speaking more broadly, Gyllenhaal told Esquire it’s “important when supporters get unruly that we feel a responsibility to have them be civil and not allow for cyberbullying in one’s name,” adding that there should be a conversation “that allows us to examine how we can — or should, even — take responsibility for what we put into the world, our contributions into the world.” 

Swift has never commented on the backlash against Gyllenhaal, nor has she explicitly confirmed the song is actually about him. But fans’ dislike of Gyllenhaal for perceived wrongs against Swift based on the song at one point got so intense that some also flooded a Jamie Lee Curtis Instagram post about Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Curtis’ godchildren, with comments telling her to “read the room.”

Asked in the Esquire interview if he has listened to Swift’s new re-recorded Red, which was released in November featuring the 10-minute “All Too Well,” Gyllenhaal simply said, “No.”