Canadian film director Jason Reitman is walking on air this week. Not only did his film "Up in the Air" receive nine major award nominations, but he carried the Olympic torch in Toronto -- an event he said was one of the highlights of his life.
Reitman was still euphoric on Thursday, one day after the torch was passed to him by his father, Hollywood film director Ivan Reitman.
"It's just been incredibly emotional," the younger Reitman said on CTV's Canada AM Friday.
"Only in a week like this can I forget that my movie just got six Golden Globe nominations, because I'm just consumed about last night's events," he said about running with the Olympic torch.
"I'm usually more articulate but I just can't put into words what it feels like to carry the Olympic flame, be back in Toronto, to have that moment with my father."
He said the torch relay topped off one of the best weeks of his life, and is only surpassed by his wedding day and the day his daughter was born.
"It's extraordinary. I've never felt so Canadian in all my life," he said, explaining that he was humbled to be running the same leg as Canadian astronaut Roberta Bondar, and an athlete who ran the torch during the 1936 Berlin Olympics relay.
Reitman, 32, said he is keeping a diary to help process the once-in-a-lifetime events that took place this week.
His father, Ivan Reitman, director of "Ghostbusters," "Kindergarten Cop," and a long string of successful Hollywood blockbusters, tearfully passed the Olympic flame to his son in north Toronto Thursday, near where the elder Reitman grew up.
"It's only appropriate that I pass (the torch) on ... to Jason," Ivan Reitman, 62, said while sitting beside his son in an interview before the run.
Jason Reitman said he was overjoyed at the opportunity to have his father literally pass the torch, in addition to the figurative torch of the family business.
"I found myself last night just kind of scouring the internet for photos just trying to recapture that moment," Jason Reitman said.
"It was an incredibly proud moment for me not only as a Canadian, but as my father's son."
Accolades for 'Up in the Air'
In addition to the Golden Globe nominations, "Up in the Air," was also nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The film stars George Clooney as a man who spends his life travelling as a professional corporate downsizer. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year and Oscar buzz is already building.
The nominations this week are only the most recent honours for the film, which won four awards from the National Board of Review, including best picture earlier this month.
Reitman's last film, "Juno," about a teenage pregnancy was also a smash. It was nominated for four Oscars, including a nom for Halifax actress Ellen Page, helping launch her career.
Ivan Reitman produced the film, which is nominated for best picture, three acting awards, best directing, and best screenplay at the Golden Globes.
"We've been able to share already many great moments and we're still a month away from putting tuxes on and going to the Golden Globes together, which I imagine will be pretty incredible," Jason Reitman said.
With files from The Canadian Press
