I can't feel my legs! It's freezing cold and I'm in the middle of a torrential downpour with 100 mph winds blasting past me. The funny thing is, I'm indoors on a soundstage for the environmental thriller The Day After Tomorrow (out May 28) in Montreal, Canada. From the outside it looks like a huge abandoned airplane hangar, but inside there are hundreds of people running around.
Jake Gyllenhaal and his cast mates are sloshing through four feet of water on a fake New York City street trying to find shelter from a tidal wave. Since they're supposed to be in the middle of a major storm, there's 5,000 gallons of water pouring on them each minute! Once director Roland Emmerich calls cut, I brave all the water to get the scoop on the cast.
Jake Gyllenhaal Where you've seen him: Where haven't you? He gave brilliant performances as a man mourning the loss of his fiancée in Moonlight Mile, as a small-town cashier in love with Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl, and as a disturbed teenager who talks to a giant bunny in Donnie Darko.
He plays: Sam, the son of a climatologist (portrayed by Dennis Quaid), who goes off to New York City for an academic decathlon and gets trapped there when global warming causes a new ice age
Fave on-set pastime: Doing crossword puzzles. "They're challenging and fun at the same time," says Jake, 23.
Hardest part to film: Anything with green screens. "It's difficult to imagine all these things that don't exist, but will exist when you see the movie," says Jake. "Like this gigantic tsunami comes in and bashes down on all the avenues in New York City. We're supposed to run and save Laura and be like, 'No, we're gonna die' and run up the stairs. There's no wave behind us, though, so there's a lot of pretending."
Don't call him introspective: "I have a silly side, too," says Jake. "But I want to play really meaty characters, and for someone my age those parts are always sad, really disturbed kids, which says a lot."
Special guest star: His real-life girlfriend, Kirsten Dunst, doesn't have a part in the movie, but she did visit him on the Montreal set.
Where you'll see him next: As Gwyneth Paltrow's love interest in the drama Proof, as a sailor in the thriller Nautica, and as a gay cowboy in love with Heath Ledger in 2005's Brokeback Mountain.
Arjay Smith Where you've seen him: On Malcolm in the Middle as one of Frances' friends at the military academy
He plays: Bryan, who Arjay describes as the "smart kid with the dorky clothes. He's a nerd, but he doesn't realize it."
Fave on-set pastime: Beat-boxing. Like his good friend Nick Cannon, Arjay, 20, hopes to segue into music one day by rapping and producing like P. Diddy and Master P.
Hardest part to film: Being in a big swimming pool for four days straight. "We were wading through cold water all day," says Arjay. "Even though we had these dry suits on, we weren't dry at all. My feet, knees, back – it was all wet."
Expert advice: Since this is Arjay's first feature film, he played 20 questions on-set with veterans Jake and Dennis. "I asked them if what I was doing looked realistic or how I should improve things," says Arjay. "Their opinions really matter to me."
His brush with basketball royalty: He was in a commercial with the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal in 1995. "Back then, I didn't really know who Shaq was," says Arjay. "He was just a really tall, tall dude I was doing a commercial with. When I got older, I was like, 'Man, I did a commercial with Shaq.' "
Secret talent: Dancing. Between takes, he busts out with the Cabbage Patch or Running Man to keep the vibe light. "I have three sisters and they taught me all my moves," says Arjay.
Where you'll see him next: On reruns of Malcolm in the Middle
Emmy Rossum Where you've seen her: As the slain daughter in Mystic River
She plays: Laura, whom Emmy describes as "the smart and determined team leader. She knows what she wants and understands how to get it." She's also the object of affection for Sam and J.D. Lucky girl!
Hardest part to film: She can't pick just one. "We go through so much stress," says Emmy, 17. "Running through the water with the wind and rain was tough. Plus, all the emotional stuff. Sam almost drowns and I'm saving him, and almost die, and he is saving me — we all almost die."
Fave on-set pastime: Watching the Food Network. "But it makes me hungry and then I have to go make whatever they're cooking," says Emmy. "I'm a good cook. I'm a little Emeril in the kitchen. Bam! Bam! Bam!" Her second favorite way to spend the day: "Beating up on the guys," says Emmy. "I take kickboxing, and I use it on them all the time."
Secret talent: Opera. From ages 7 to 11, she sang with the children's chorus at New York City's Metropolitan Opera.
Reality check: Emmy says she'll never get a big head because her friends won't let her. "They're like, 'You are not that cool. Remember that we know that you sleep with your mouth open!' "
Where you'll see her next: As the lead in The Phantom of the Opera
Austin Nichols Where you've seen him: Having a sordid affair with Rachel Griffith on Six Feet Under and flirting with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in Holiday in the Sun
He plays: J.D., the popular rich kid who is Sam's nemesis because he also wants to date Laura. "He sees Laura from across the room and knows he wants to be with her," says Austin, 24. "But Sam's harbored feelings for her and only brings them out when he sees Laura with J.D."
Hardest part to film: His scenes with Jake. "He was always making faces at me, trying to crack me up," says Austin. "It usually worked too. I was trying to be all serious and I'd see him sticking his tongue out and I'd lose it."
Fave on-set pastime: Cooking with Jake. They usually make Mexican food, but Austin's most proud of their make-it-up-as-you-go-along chicken dish. "We put three full chickens in a huge pan with shallots, garlic, onions, radishes, and seasoning." Sounds tasty.
No time for popcorn: Austin actually takes notes while watching movies. "I keep a film log," says Austin. "I take it to the movies and write down who does the music, edits, directs, and how long the film is."
Secret talent: Water skiing. His mom's a champion water skier and she taught him everything she knows.
Where you'll see him next: As a sexy tennis player in September's Wimbledon, which co-stars Kirsten Dunst.
