Four years have passed since bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon that turned then-27-year old Jeff Bauman into a double amputee. In that time, Bauman’s inspiring story – which for many symbolizes Boston’s strength in bouncing back from the tragedy – has been captured in a book, which was then adapted into screenplay and now, the movie “Stronger,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman.
During that time, Bauman’s recovery – physically, emotionally and mentally – did not happen all at once, nor was it a linear process. In fact, according to Gyllenhaal, Bauman was in a dramatically different headspace at the end of shooting “Stronger” compared to when he saw an early version of the movie.
“In this past year he’s gotten sober, he’s in therapy three times a week and he has conscientiously decided to be a deeply involved father to his daughter,” said Gyllenhaal in an interview with IndieWire.
Earlier this year, Jake Gyllenhaal was amongst the many incognito celebrities at Raf Simons’ Spring 2018 menswear show, which was held on a steamy summer night at a lantern-lit outdoor market under the bridge in New York’s Chinatown. It turns out, that was no accident. Like many of the stars who attended the buzzy show–including A$AP Rocky, Ashton Sanders–Gyllenhaal is a new muse of Calvin Klein’s chief creative officer Raf Simons, and is now starring in the campaign for Eternity, one of Calvin Klein’s most iconic fragrances.
Stories about Jake Gyllenhaal tend to highlight the moment he decided to boldly walk away from would-be Hollywood tentpoles like Prince of Persia and The Day After Tomorrow to, you know, be an artist. Truth is, the guy’s been making interesting choices from the jump: Donnie Darko, The Good Girl, Brokeback Mountain—three genres, three killer performances. Gyllenhaal, 36, can be goofy—on talk shows, but in conversation, he’s deliberate and serious. Gyllenhaal is at his stirring, emotional best this fall in Stronger, based on the true story of Jeff Bauman, a hero of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing who just wanted to watch his girlfriend cross the finish line when he was caught in the blast. 
