The latest feature film from director George Clooney follows an incredible journey through space after major events take place on our own planet. The film is part sci-fi adventure, love story, cautionary tale and full of hope all packed into one incredible plot that could happen to us in the future if we’re not careful. Two of the film’s stars—David Oyelowo and Demián Bichir—discussed what went into making the film and what audiences can take away from the message.

When you were approached or read the script, what interested you to want to sign on? 

DB: First of all, it has to do with the name that it’s coming from, it’s one of those beautiful things that happens in your career sometimes that you’re called by wonderful artists to become part of a project. I don’t know if there’s anyone who can say no to George Clooney —I can’t and I won’t. And then of course the script, it’s a wonderful story and the character is such a fantastic role filled with different layers. It represented a challenge for me emotionally and physically, so all of that together makes it an automatic yes.  

DO:  Well, you know, two words: George Clooney —that better get any actor’s attention, of course. Then the script, I loved the scope and scale of this. As someone who’s done a lot of independent films, the reason I gravitate towards a lot of them is because I find it more meaningful, dare I say, than than some of the the bigger movies out there. But this one was both a big movie, and also a meaningful movie. It actually had something to say about humanity and wasn’t just pure sort of fluffy entertainment and had this great cast, but also the central theme is around connection and our need for it as human beings. It’s a big truth in my life in terms of something that preoccupies my thoughts.  

The roles were obviously physically demanding. How was it trying to maneuver all that as an actor, specifically the scenes with no gravity? 

DB: Even though I don’t go for a space walk, I had to go through the whole training anyway like the rest of the cast. This is the magic of moviemaking because when you see the film, it’s only a sequence, but in order to make those few moments believable you have to go through an intense type of training and and get the specifics of this particular trick that is acting in zero gravity. It’s often said that actors have to be athletes in many ways and you better be in shape. I’m usually in good shape, I love sports and I exercise regularly, but still, every time you play a different sport, different muscles hurt. So although I’m in good shape, going into this type of training, which focuses on the core of the body and your lower back created a big change and you feel it. You do feel it when you’re training and so that’s that’s very intense—but it’s also part of what we love as actors. 

DO:  It does pose difficulties. But thankfully, our captain in the form of George Clooney has done a couple of space movies himself in the past. He was really able to guide us in terms of what needs to be in place to do that. It started for me with about three months of training here in L.A. to get very strong so that I was able to make something that is actually full of effort, look effortless—you have to in order to look weightless. You are being held up by these wires and you have to move your body in a way that makes it seem like nothing is pulling on your body when everything on your body is actually being pulled. And so there was that element that involved an amazing stunt team as well, but also there was a huge visual effects component to this. Tiffany Boone, who plays Maya in the film, she is someone very dear to this crew of astronauts and so the injury she sustains on that spacewalk leads us to a fairly emotional scene. It’s full of action, it’s full of size and epic space stuff, but it’s also a very human and emotional scene as well. So a lot of things have to come together for that sequence to work.