Jake Gyllenhaal appeared in a few very minor television and movie roles as a child, but he didn’t star in his first lead role until the release of “October Sky” in 1999. Gyllenhaal was 18 at the time.
Had the Academy Award nominee’s parents been more open to the idea of their son starring in “The Mighty Ducks,” Gyllenhaal may have become a household name sooner.
During a recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Gyllenhaal recalled how he felt after he landed the lead role in “The Mighty Ducks” at age 11 and his parents wouldn’t allow him to take it.
“I definitely remember crying on the kitchen counter,” the 34-year-old said, as transcribed by Josh Cooper of Puck Daddy. “But my parents were like, ‘Look, you’re about to enter junior high school, you gotta get your education, that’s the most important thing. I promise you, you hate us now, but you’ll thank us later.’ And I do.”
Most people feel that “The Mighty Ducks” is an all-time classic, so everything worked out for the best. Joshua Jackson is best known for his role as Charlie Conway, and he did a pretty good job of hooking his mom up with Coach Bombay. Would Gyllenhaal have been as convincing? I guess we’ll never know.
Here’s the clip of Gyllenhaal talking about turning down the role. It contains some NSFW language:
