Leading with October…

October Sky is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia. Principal photography occured in rural East Tennessee, including Oliver Springs, Harriman, and Kingston in Morgan and Roane counties. The film was a moderate box office success and received very positive critical reception; it continues to be celebrated in the regions of its setting and filming.

It is a 1999 biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the true story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner‘s son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father’s wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer.

The film’s star, Jake Gyllenhaal, was 17 years old during filming, the same age as Homer Hickam‘s character. In an interview in 2014, Natalie Canerday recalled that Gyllenhaal was tutored on set because he was still in school and taking advanced classes. Gyllenhaal got his first lead role the 1999 biographical drama October Sky.

In this interview from YouTuber take2markTV   That took place in 1999, with a then 18-year-old Gyllenhaal, the now well-known movie star discusses getting recognized, working with classic cars, the perks of filming in Tennessee, and of course the rocket sequences and whether or not he enjoyed rocketry in his film October Sky.

Take a rocket back in time to a younger Jake Gyllenhaal as his career was beginning to take off to what it would eventually become. You can see the younger Gyllenhaal address how he feels about being noticed with growing fame and so much more! 

You can watch the full Interview with Jake Gyllenhaal below:

October Sky is available now to rent on all streaming platforms…