STATE CHAMP RUNS FROM THE TRACK
TO THE BIG SCREEN
by Tim Stevens
Former North Carolina state track champion Jake Goodchild made his motion picture debut less than two years after helping his West Henderson Falcons to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4x400 relay championship.
Goodchild played a key supporting role in the film, "Me & You, Us, Forever", which opened in theaters in 83 cities and 34 states on February 15th.
Goodchild, who is now a freshman at Appalachian State, had no acting experience before filming, but was approached by producer Dave Christiano, who lives in Hendersonville NC and is a former runner and self-described huge fan of cross country and track.
Christiano was looking for an actor with a particular look and who could realistically portray a high school runner.
"One of the girls I knew on the team recommended Jake to me and thought he might be interested," Christiano said. "Jake had the right look so I approached him, and what was even better, he had an interest in acting."
Goodchild plays a 17-year-old track runner - which isn't a stretch - but he also had to learn to act. Making a film wasn't just going out and doing what comes naturally.
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Jake Goodchild (right) in Me & You, Us, Forever |
"It was difficult at times acting because we would shoot several takes of a certain scene, just trying to get what Dave was looking for," Goodchild said. "I had a great time acting and getting to meet most of the people involved in the movie. I would love to do it again."
Goodchild's portion of the shooting covered three days and was shot in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Goodchild plays the main character at age 17 during the man's flashbacks to 1974. The main character in "Me & You, Us, Forever" is a 47-year-old divorced man, who reminisces about his old high school girl friend and first love 30 years before. The interaction between Goodchild and his fictional first love - Kathryn Worsham of Houston, Texas - came pretty naturally, Goodchild said.
"We had a little time to talk and get to know each other before we did scenes with each other," he said. "She was a nice person."
Picturing himself as a state champion was easier. He had dreamed of winning an important race for years. He has always enjoyed running fast and he joined his first track team as soon as he reached the seventh grade at Rugby Middle in Hendersonville.
At West Henderson High, he concentrated on the 400 meters and teamed with Marvin Reed, Chase Condon and Mark Baity to win the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 2-A title during Goodchild's junior year in 2006.
The championship was euphoric.
"The feeling was the best feeling we have ever experienced in our lives," Goodchild said. "The win was so amazing, it felt like it was all a dream."
Goodchild had high hopes for his senior year, but after qualifying for the state championships, he became ill and ran far from his best at the finals.
And how does appearing on the big screen compare with winning a state championship?
"To tell you the truth, I can't see how anything can compare with the state championship," he said. "I loved making the film and it was wonderful. But my teammates and I had worked for years to win that one race. To work that hard and that long and achieve it was an unbelievable feeling. It wasn't just me. It was our team winning."
Goodchild doesn't have any more movies planned, but he still is running. His first love in track was the multi-discipline events and he now competes in the heptathlon indoors and he plans to compete in the decathalon during the outdoor track season. He had little or no experience in several of the events, but said it is exciting to learn new things, like acting.
- Tim Stevens is a freelance writer who lives in Garner NC
