TORONTO: Jake Gyllenhaal put his “heart and soul” into “Stronger”, a film about Jeff Bauman, who lost his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and in the process found inspiration and a special kinship with Bauman.
Based on Bauman’s memoir by the same name, the film directed by David Gordon Green centers around his difficult journey toward walking again, his struggle with post traumatic stress, and his bewilderment and reluctance to being called a “hero”.
“No matter what you have been through in your life, Jeff shows you that can get through it,” Gyllenhaal said after the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday.
“To me, I could not think of a better movie to put my heart and soul into.”
Gyllenhaal, whose production company Nine Stories chose “Stronger” as its first film, said he was faced every day with the fact that he probably could not do what Bauman did and called him one of the strongest people he knew.
Gyllenhaal admitted to being intimidated when he first met Bauman, knowing the impossibility of matching the reality of Bauman’s experience. But as they spent time together, he quickly saw a connection and why Green cast him for the part.
Gyllenhaal taps courage of Boston bombing survivor for ‘Stronger’
Gyllenhaal taps courage of Boston bombing survivor for ‘Stronger’
