Making movies may seem like a glamorous endeavor, but it’s not always as easy as it may seem. Actors are frequently called upon to push their boundaries in order to make the scenes they’re acting out as believable as possible. That can cause some discomfort, even for the most seasoned actors -- and it’s exactly that reason that Anne Hathaway was relieved when Matt Damon spoke up about an uncomfortable situation on the set of Interstellar.
To fans, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi odyssey is known for its complex plot. For the actors who worked on the 2014 film though, the abiding memories seem to be that of the unique working conditions on set. Anne Hathaway recently admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that of all the movies she’s made over the years, Interstellar stands out in her memory -- and maybe not for the best reason:
The worst costume I’ve ever had was on Interstellar. Oh, those spacesuits were, they were hard. And you know we were in pretty rugged conditions. We were in Iceland, we were running through water. We were, you know, climbing glaciers. And maybe I put too much pressure on myself, but I was the only girl on the crew who was wearing one. So, I just thought, ‘I can’t complain about this.’ It can’t be me that breaks.’ Then, your buddy Matt Damon came in and started his first day. And about two hours into it, he just pitched forward and went, ‘This is the worst fucking costume I’ve ever worn.’ And it was OK, because once Matt Damon said it then the rest of us could complain.
Obviously, the cast still had to continue on with shooting. Still, at least they were able to commiserate a bit about how uncomfortable they were.
This anecdote is interesting for a few different reasons. Besides being a good reminder that making movies isn’t always glamorous, it’s also a bit telling that she felt pressure not to break because she was a woman. It sounds like it was a huge relief that it was Matt Damon who broke first and took a bit of pressure off the rest of the cast.
This isn’t the first time Anne Hathaway has spilled about the unique challenges of filming Interstellar. A few years back, she showed Graham Norton how the cast had to mime like they were floating in space, illustrating once again that sometimes movie magic has more to do with just committing to the moment than it does with reliance on special effects.
The fact that the Interstellar cast had to push the boundaries of their imagination and their comfort level makes the end result especially impressive. Still, its legacy remains more firmly rooted in the way fans still debate its more controversial plot points, as opposed to how convincingly the actors portrayed space travelers.
