Jake Gyllenhaal "often" thought of his late grandfather when making his new movie ‘Life’.
The 36-year-old actor stars in the sci-fi thriller as Dr. David Jordan and admitted he drew inspiration from his surgeon granddad Samuel Achs, who was a major influence on his life, when he was filming his role.
Speaking to Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper, he shared: "Though it’s not a full homage, there’s a piece of him in there. I thought of him often while I was making this movie."
Dr. Achs died three years ago and his famous grandson is convinced the brilliant surgeon felt that Jake and his actress sister Maggie Gyllenhaal hadn’t chosen real careers.
However, Jake his sure he was proud of their successes nonetheless.
He added: "As brilliant as he was, I don’t ever know if he considered my profession a true one. But I know that he is proud of me regardless."
Despite his success in Hollywood, the star says his real passion is musical theatre and singing but admitted he lacked confidence to follow his first love within the arts.
He continued: "I grew up singing; I grew up with my mother taking my sister and I to musical theatre. So it’s a world I love.
"I just happened to get lucky making movies and never had an opportunity, or maybe the confidence, to step out and do what I really love the most."
Jake stars alongside Ryan Reynolds and Rebecca Ferguson in ‘Life’, in which the trio play a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station who battle an aggressive extraterrestrial organism from Mars.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s late grandfather inspired him on Life
