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'Stronger' star Jake Gyllenhaal plays supporting role with Boston Marathon survivor at North Dallas prosthetics center

Since 2013, Jeff Bauman lost his legs, wrote a memoir, got married, had a daughter, announced a divorce, and became the subject of major movie. "It feels like a lifetime to me," he says.

Jake Gyllenhaal is a movie star, and movie stars have a way of pulling a room's energy in their direction without trying. But Gyllenhaal wasn't the center of attention when he entered Scott Sabolich Research and Prosthetics in North Dallas on Tuesday afternoon. And his supporting role seemed to make him happy.

At his side was Jeff Bauman, the man Gyllenhaal plays in the new movie Stronger , which is directed by Richardson native David Gordon Green and opens Friday. Bauman lost both of his legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, where he stood in the crowd cheering for his on-again, off-again girlfriend. The photograph of a man in a cowboy hat pushing a dazed Bauman in a wheelchair became an iconic image. Bauman helped identify one of the bombing suspects. And he became a symbol of "Boston Strong," a vessel of hope for a city reeling in sadness, anger and disbelief.

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As we see in the film, that responsibility took some getting used to. As he tried adjusting to a life without legs, Bauman, now 31, also grappled with life in the spotlight, his new significance.

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"It was hard, because I just felt like this dude that got blown up," Bauman says. "At some points I felt like an idiot. At some points I felt down, and I really wanted to isolate and be alone."

He spent a lot of time drinking with his buddies and pushing people away.

He doesn't do as much of that now. Isolation doesn't suit him. At the Sabolich facility, in a gleaming white laboratory space where clear plastic prosthetic sockets hang from the walls, Bauman exudes comfort. He chats amiably with staff and fellow amputees, shaking hands, smiling easily. He wears shorts that display his sleek prosthetic legs. Shorts are more comfortable than pants, but they're also a means of expression.

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"With guys it's like, 'Show your metal,'" says Shelley Dutton, representing the Oklahoma-based nonprofit Limbs for Life. Dutton lost a leg to cancer when she was twelve. She's now 58. She rolls up a pants leg to show her prosthetic's cosmetic covering.

Jake Gyllenhaal talks to Jeff Waldmuller, head practioner at Sabolich Prosthetics and...
Jake Gyllenhaal talks to Jeff Waldmuller, head practioner at Sabolich Prosthetics and Research in Dallas, on Sept. 19, 2017. (Nathan Hunsinger / Staff Photographer)

Bauman shows his metal — to be exact, his carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium and plastic. He chats with Mike, a runner whose prosthetic allows him to compete in national amputee track meets. "There's mental energy being burned when you run, and there's physical energy being burned," Mike tells Bauman. Bauman nods as cameras click around the room.

Jeff Bauman and Jake Gyllenhaal attend the 'Stronger' New York Premiere at Walter Reade...
Jeff Bauman and Jake Gyllenhaal attend the 'Stronger' New York Premiere at Walter Reade Theater on September 14, 2017 in New York City. (KENA BETANCUR / Getty Images)

Bauman does these kinds of appearances a lot now. It helps him heal. "Once I really get out and start meeting people, that's what really takes me out of my isolation, feeling that connection," he says. "I start to realize that we all help each other by communicating and talking and putting your emotions out there. That took me a long time."

But it really hasn't been that long since Bauman's life changed forever. Since 2013 he lost his legs, wrote a memoir, got married, had a daughter, announced a divorce, and became the subject of major movie.

"It feels like a lifetime to me," he says. "If I was just living my normal life it would have taken me four lifetimes to do all I've done. It's been crazy. I'm blessed with what I have."

Gyllenhaal considers himself blessed to know Bauman. They crack each other up with the ease of guys who have spent a lot of time hanging out. In that time, Gyllenhaal has developed a sense of  awe for the man he plays, his world, and the effect he has on other people.

"Even when we're here today, it's incredible to watch people respond to Jeff," Gyllenhaal says, motioning around the Sabolich facility. "Just to sit there, humbled and amazed by all the incredible people who have gone through what they've gone through, and are living even better lives than they probably ever expected to, it's incredible. That community is inspiring."

As Bauman says, he is indeed a dude that got blown up. He's also an inspiration. The best part? He's learned to love the role.

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An image released by Roadside Attractions shows Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from "Stronger."
An image released by Roadside Attractions shows Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from "Stronger." (AP)