All it took was one look at the script, and Jake Gyllenhaal wanted in on “Source Code.”

Gyllenhaal was intrigued by Ben Ripley’s science-fiction thriller about a soldier in a high-tech project, the Source Code, which sends him back in time for eight minutes so he can change events.

“The first 15 pages that I read are like, the first five minutes of the movie,” Gyllenhaal said last Sunday at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.

“You’re like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ I thought that they couldn’t take it any farther than it had already been taken.”

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Jumping from independent pictures to mainstream movies was Jake Gyllenhaal’s calling card. Now the 30-year-old seems focused on middle-of-the-road projects.

Last spring, he played the running-and-jumping Prince Dastan in the frothy fantasy film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which was based on the popular video games. He was also a slick pharmaceutical salesman opposite Anne Hathaway’s free spirit in the cheeky romantic comedy Love & Other Drugs. Up next for Gyllenhaal is the sci-fi thriller Source Code, which opens April 1.

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Even if “Source Code” casts him in an action/sci-fi variation on “Groundhog’s Day,” Jake Gyllenhaal isn’t fantasizing about any personal life do-overs. He rather use a time-rewind to do good for others.

“I’ve lived a blessed life,” says the actor, who plays a character who must continually re-explore eight minutes someone else’s life in order to avert a major catastrophe. “I think with regret, regardless of what it might be, if you listen to it is the best teacher, in the way that it has allowed me to live more presently.”

“But in the wake of something like what is going on in Japan, even around the world,” Gyllenhaal continues, “I can’t think about something that I would want to go back and re-live in my life, because my life has so far been pretty extraordinary. I would want there to be something like this computer program in the movie: Imagine if you had the ability to go back into a nuclear scientist’s body in Japan, or eight minutes before something happened – you could warn thousands of people what was going on. That’s what I would use it for. It’s hard for me to think about something for myself in the situation that is going on right now.”

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The 30-year-old US actor has spoken about how he winds down while shooting films. He enjoys playing the sports-based computer on movie sets, and makes the game extra special by singing Whitney Houston tracts while taking part. He finds that satisfies his urge to sing in public, which he is often too nervous to do.

“I don’t really do karaoke that much! What’s that song I Just Wanna Dance With Somebody? I always want to do The Bodyguard soundtrack I Will Always Love You. I like that,” he said when asked what his signature karaoke songs were. “No, maybe just a bit of Wii tennis [on set], while I’m singing Whitney’s I Will Always Love You. That’s the only way to do it really. You can’t play Wii tennis when you’re not listening to Whitney Houston.”

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His fans call themselves Gyllenhaalics and there is no intervention. They just need to have their fix of those pecs and that sweet smile.

In Chicago, they gathered early in the morning at Millennium Park. Their ages ranged from 5 to 65, and they were on a mission to find the object of their addiction: Jake Gyllenhaal.

The 30-year-old heartthrob was filming a scene for his new movie “Source Code” in the park, and pandemonium ensued.

“Chicago is so cool in my book,” Gyllenhaal said. “We shot in the early morning hours and we had the whole park, but without giving too much away, we were filming in front of a statue that was very reflective. You could see the faces of the fans in the background going nuts and waving. It didn’t exactly fit into the plot about a guy who is hiding out.

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