Actor Peter Sarsgaard drawn to thunderbolt moments

Peter Sarsgaard craves the shock waves. “I don’t want to gear up,” he says. “I like to be surprised by life.”

At age 53, the celebrated actor finds joy in those thunderbolt moments.

Being offered a role in the new film “September 5” was just such a moment, he says.

Director Tim Fehlbaum knew there was just one actor he wanted to play Roone Arledge, the late ABC News executive, in a film about the massacre at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. “September 5,” opening Jan. 17, is told from the viewpoint of the ABC Sports broadcast team thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.

“I am not shy about kicking the tires and making sure everyone is as serious as I am about making this thing the best thing it can be,” Sarsgaard says.

“I had a feeling about the movie the minute it was given to me,” he continues. “The director is key. When you run into someone where all they can talk about is their project, I know it’s going to be good. He had a good sense of the many different angles on this story.”

Sarsgaard lives in New York with wife and fellow Hollywood star Maggie Gyllenhaal and their daughters, Ramona, 18, and Gloria Ray, 13. His good life tips:

Jump right in

To play Arledge, Sarsgaard says, “I wouldn’t say I did a deep dive. I did do some kind of dive. I’ve played so many people who were based on real-life people. There is this notion that learning everything about their life will help you on the set. It’s partly true, but I’m more daydreamy.”

Dream on

Acting wasn’t a given for Sarsgaard, who was born at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. His father was an Air Force engineer and later worked for IBM. When Sarsgaard was a struggling actor in college, a relative came to see him in the play “Hedda Gabler.” It wasn’t the vote of confidence that he needed. “This person said, ‘Look in the mirror. You’re not an actor. An actor looks like Mel Gibson.’ ” Yet Sarsgaard pushed on. “You can’t let anyone ruin your dream,” he says.

Sage advice

What is the best thing he tells his daughters? “Always tell the truth,” Sarsgaard shares. “You can’t go wrong with the truth.”

Hard lessons

“I played a lot of sports growing up,” he recalls. “I remember the anxiety. If I had a penalty kick and I didn’t make it then I felt like an idiot. Those are hard moments as a kid. You learn a lot and it teaches you that you can go on after that moment.”

All in the family

No, he is not a member of the Skarsgard acting family of Swedish star Stellan Skarsgard and his four famous sons, including Alexander and Bill. “I still hear, ‘Oh, I just worked with your dad.’ I used to correct people, but now I don’t. I love their work. If people want me to be a part of that family, OK.”

Move more

“I feel like I’ve been pretty athletic most of my life,” Sarsgaard says. “I look at exercise this way: It’s like wringing the sponge out. The sweat coming out of you is all the BS that you deal with that you don’t need. … I had a very bad back problem for years and surgery was advised, but I didn’t do it. I just got myself into a different shape and was able to live with it. I didn’t get rid of it, but I feel better than I have in many years. Physically, I’m ready for an action movie. I can sprint really well and jump over things.”

‘Swing harder’

Sarsgaard says that as a kid he “was into biofeedback. I had this thing that you clipped onto your finger. I used to do it often and raise and lower my pulse. You can learn to do it. I know how to make everything settle down inside of me. At the same time, fear and anxiety is my fuel. If I don’t have those things I’m in trouble. … I do make the stakes so high for myself. Having high goals and falling short makes me come back the next time and swing harder.”

High-stakes stories

The roles he takes have grown more interesting with age, Sarsgaard reasons. “A lot of the time — at every age — I took roles nobody else wanted. My ambition was never to be Superman. I didn’t want to be Lex Luthor, either. With age, there are even more nuances. … I like high-stakes stories leading people to irrational behavior.”

Taking turns

Sarsgaard says that he and Gyllenhaal juggle acting roles so that one of them is always home, plus they plan family time for all of them to be together. “I have a whole other life outside of acting that’s more important,” he says.