25 MAY 2004

As the summer blockbuster season begins to heat up, movie heart-throb Jake Gyllenhal was chilling out with girlfriend Kirsten Dunst at Monday's premiere of his new film, The Day After Tomorrow.

The red carpet at New York's Museum of Natural History was turned into a blanket of winter white with the help of some man-made snow to celebrate the opening of the global warming disaster flick.

Also looking cool was co-star Dennis Quaid, who sees unruly weather systems – including a New Delhi snow storm, a London ice age and Manhattan tidal waves – unleashed in his role as Jake's scientist dad. Other stars on the scene at the premiere included Oscar winners Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, and Lord Of The Rings star Ian Holm.

Twenty-four-year-old Jake, who made his name in smaller projects such as cult hit Donnie Darko, says he welcomes the opportunity to star in what may be one of the season's biggest films. "Movies I've done before were for a specific audience," he says, "but this is for everyone."