Ryan Gosling Acted With Real Puppet, Not Green Screen

Ryan Gosling didn't stare at a green screen while filming his scenes with an alien costar in "Project Hail Mary." Instead, he acted alongside a real puppet operated by Broadway veteran James Ortiz for nearly the entire six-month London shoot.

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted practical effects instead of digital ones whenever possible. That meant Ortiz, known for creating creatures in Broadway hits like "The Skin of Their Teeth," was on set almost every day bringing Rocky the alien to life.

The approach made a huge difference for the performance. "Actor to actor, I didn't want Ryan to ever feel like he was alone in this," Ortiz explains. "It would be too hard. I mean, he shouldn't have to make character decisions for a strange, faceless creature."

Before each scene, Gosling and Ortiz rehearsed together without the puppet to nail down the blocking and emotional beats. They'd look each other in the eyes and figure out the scene's rhythm. Then they'd layer in the puppet for the actual take.

The two bonded during lunch breaks, talking about Batman movies like kids. On Ortiz's last day, Gosling surprised him with a "Batman Forever" crew sweatshirt as a wrap gift. "The gift just speaks to Ryan's generosity and the fact that the man really listens," Ortiz says.

Rocky presented unique challenges as a character. The spider-like creature speaks in whale songs and looks like a boulder with no traditional face. Yet Ortiz and designer Neil Scanlan had to make him relatable and lovable.

Why This Inspires

Ortiz spent months in pre-production giving feedback on Rocky's construction so his puppeteering team could operate the creature fluidly. The production built sets four to five feet off the floor so puppeteers could work from underneath through holes in the soundstage.

The character work paid off beautifully. "Rocky is super intelligent and has a mind like a computer," Ortiz explains. "But his soul, to me, always felt like that of a little brother. There's a little bit of this anxious, 14-year-old boy who really wants to be invited to the party."

Ortiz even voiced Rocky's dialogue from a sound booth during filming so Gosling had a scene partner. He gave the voice a slightly glitchy quality, mixing Mr. Moviefone with a less polished version of Siri. He assumed a famous actor would replace him in post-production.

But when Lord and Miller screened the film with Ortiz's voice tracks, they couldn't imagine anyone else. They called to tell him his performance was staying in the final cut. "Getting that call was incredible," Ortiz says. "I'd convinced myself it wouldn't be me."

The filmmakers treated Ortiz like a full member of the ensemble throughout production, never reducing him to just a technical element. That respect and collaboration shows in every scene Rocky appears in.