Outer space can get awfully lonely. In fact, even just recreating a solitary space mission on a Hollywood set for Project Hail Mary was starting to affect its star, Ryan Gosling. In an interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub, the three-time Oscar nominee discusses what it was like filming alone for 100 days across a "six-year journey," for a movie that keeps its cameras trained almost entirely on him. "It's a lot of me," he jokes. "It's more me than I need, than you need, than any of us need."

In the movie, based on Andy Weir's bestselling novel and directed by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Gosling plays middle school teacher Ryland Grace, who's recruited to save the world because of his doctorate in molecular biology. He becomes Earth's "Hail Mary," if you will, when Eva Stratt (Oscar nominee Sandra Hüller) explains that the sun is dying. On board a spaceship, light-years away from home, Grace meets his mission companion, an alien named Rocky (James Ortiz), and the two set off on an epic and miraculous journey. Project Hail Mary also stars Ken Leung, Lionel Boyce, and Milana Vayntrub.

Check out the full conversation in the video above or the transcript below, where Gosling tells us about Hüller's impromptu karaoke scene that became the unofficial "anthem of the film" and how Lord and Miller built him an unusual co-star, affectionately called "Moppy Ringwald." He also shares his favorite films from Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg, and teases "too much" about Shawn Levy's highly anticipated Star Wars: Starfighter. Finally, one of my favorite parts of the conversation was Gosling explaining asking for an autograph when he was twelve years old informed how he treats fans today.

Sandra Hüller’s Surprise Singing Became the Movie’s Best Scene

"She's a quadruple threat."

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

COLLIDER: First of all, I just want to start with, and I really mean this, this movie is awesome. I just want to say a huge congratulations. It's spectacular in IMAX. I think the thing that most people are going to say after they finish the movie is, “When are Ryan and Sandra doing their comedy tour?”

RYAN GOSLING: She’s so funny.

The two of you together.

GOSLING: And her voice. She does it all. She's a trip. She's a quadruple threat.

I was blown away by her singing and the dynamic between the two of you.

GOSLING: Which she was not supposed to do, by the way.

The singing?

GOSLING: Yes. I heard her singing down the hall. Our dressing rooms were down the hall from one another, and we were about to do a karaoke scene a few days later, and I had no idea she had this voice. It was so beautiful. I said, “Will you please sing in the movie?” She was like, “I'll think about it.” And she took two days to think about it. She came, she showed up, she had picked this Harry Styles song, which she smashed. It ends up becoming one of the best scenes, if not the best scene, in the movie. That song, all of our marketing was based on that. It ended up being in all the trailers. It just became like the anthem of the film. So, it's just this one example of how lucky you are to work with Sandra Hüller.

She's amazing.

Ryan Gosling Shares the Story Behind Co-Star "Moppy Ringwald"

"I was so lonely..."

You're in almost every scene of this film, which is really daunting. At any point, did you email Drew [Goddard] and say, “Hey, listen, we could take me out of a scene or two?” I'm joking around about this, but it's crazy. You're in everything.

GOSLING: It's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot of me. It's more me than I need, than you need, than any of us need. But there are other great things in the film, too, so don't be daunted by that.

At one point, I was so lonely that I said to the guys, “I can't just do another day alone today. I need something.” They were like, “On it.” And they went and built me a mop person that they called Moppy Ringwald. They themselves did it, like duct tape, found a mop, went into other sets, built her, and then I just spent the day dancing with her, laughing with her. We had the greatest day. It ends up in the film, which is the joy of working with Chris and Phil. They're not afraid to stop everything and go and build you a mop partner to hang out with for the day, if that's what you need, what the movie needs.

A lot of people won't realize how many months it might have been you just by yourself. How many months was it?

GOSLING: I think we shot this for five months. Don't quote me on this. It's all a bit of a blur. It's been a six-year journey to get here, but I think it was like 100 days.

Of you being alone?

GOSLING: That's what I'm told. Again, I might be overstating it, but it felt like 100 days.

That's a lot.

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Both films are based on Sci-Fi novels by Andy Weir.

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I've been asking everyone a few curveballs. Have you ever asked for someone’s autograph?

GOSLING: Yes.

Can you share who it was?

GOSLING: Yes. Angela Bassett.

Was it when you were younger?

GOSLING: I was. I don’t know why I saw this film at 12 or something, but I saw What's Love Got to Do With It — still one of the greatest performances I've ever seen — and was very impacted. I saw her at a movie theater with Sinbad, and I went up and asked them both for their autograph, and they were very kind to give it to me.

Did that impact you in terms of when you see fans at a random movie theater?

GOSLING: Yes. They set the bar for how one should handle those situations.

Do you have a favorite Christopher Nolan movie?

GOSLING: I mean, they're all great. Insomnia is cool.

I don't get that answer a lot.

GOSLING: Yeah? I think Pacino in that film is so… It's just endlessly watchable.

The other one is, do you have a favorite Spielberg?

GOSLING: I mean, okay, let's say E.T. It has to be E.T., but honorable mention, Duel.

I agree.

GOSLING: Duel is a film school. I think if you only watched Duel, you could learn all the things you need to know about what you need to make a film. It's such a perfect movie.

There's no wrong answer with Spielberg.

GOSLING: What's yours?

It really fluctuates. This is not the answer, but the fact that he made Jurassic Park and Schindler's List in the same year, like, are you kidding? I don't understand. How do you do that?

GOSLING: I know.

Ryan Gosling Says Shawn Levy’s ‘Star Wars: Starfighter’ Is Epic

“I’m saying too much.”

Image via Lucasfilm

Before I run out of time with you, one of the things I'm most excited about for next year is something called Star Wars. I think it's called Starfighter. For a lot of people, they're curious, if you're a Star Wars fan, why should you be excited, and if you've never seen a Star Wars, why should you be excited?

GOSLING: It's such a great story on its own, and the characters are amazing. The journey is epic. I think that Shawn Levy, he's got it. He's got the tone. He's got the enthusiasm for this. It's infectious. Everybody involved is just sucked into his love. He's so passionate about this that he's really so in his element. It was a beautiful thing to see. It felt like someone who'd been working their whole life to be making this, and I think we all felt like we were a part of something really special. I'm saying too much!

You haven't actually said anything.

GOSLING: I'm saying too much.

You haven't revealed anything about the film.

GOSLING: I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Sure. Has he shown you a rough cut yet?

GOSLING: I need to stop talking.

Project Hail Mary opens in theaters and IMAX on March 20.

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Project Hail Mary

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PG-13

Science Fiction

Adventure

Drama

Release Date

March 20, 2026

Runtime

156 Minutes

Director

Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Writers

Drew Goddard, Andy Weir

Producers

Ryan Gosling, Amy Pascal, Andy Weir, Aditya Sood, Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, Rachel O'Connor

Cast

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• 
  Ryan Gosling

  Ryland Grace
• 
  Sandra Hüller

  Eva Stratt

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