10 Early Film Roles For Famous Actors You Totally Forgot
6. Jake Gyllenhaal Was Billy Crystal's Annoying Son In City Slickers
"Child Actor" is not the term that leaps to mind when one thinks of Jake Gyllenhaal. Even his early roles in the cult hit Donnie Darko and October Sky put him - generously - in his late teens or early 20s. Yet there he is, sprite-like, making goofy faces at Billy Crystal.
City Slickers was released at the height of Crystal's success in the '90s, the final incarnation of the actor who today seems to only long for a good hot dog and a ball game. It followed Crystal, Daniel Stern and the late Bruno Kirby as yuppies led astray on a cattle drive. Its reputation hasn't quite sullied in later years, but it's certainly not a film that comes up very often these days.
In an early scene, a New York societal party is ruined after Stern admits to infidelity. It's just a set-up; one of many excuses to get the three young urbanites to the ranch, but just off in the corner, the disinterested Gyllenhaal is openly mocking his father behind his back. It was also the actor's film debut.