Anne Hathaway Almost Got Hypothermia Filming Interstellar, Here’s How
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Just in case you ever forget that making movies can be a tough, hazardous occupation, there is always a litany of stories about how this star almost died filming a scene or that actor broke his leg on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII to remind you. And the latest tale of thespian bravery in the face large paychecks and fake danger is how Anne Hathaway almost got hypothermia while filming Interstellar. The lengths they go to in order to entertain, right?
By now you’ve probably seen all manner of teasers and trailers and TV spots for Christopher Nolan’s upcoming space adventure. Unless you’re one of those people trying to go in knowing as little as possible, and if that’s the case, good for you, you have far more personal restraint than we do. But if you are one of those people, I doubt you’re reading this right now.
Much of what we’ve encountered shows Hathaway, part of a group of astronauts searching for a new world for the human race to call home, on a water-covered planet. Those images of that mountain-sized wall of water are harrowing indeed. Given Nolan’s reputation for being meticulous, as well as the fact that these look like rather substantial scenes, it’s not a stretch to assume that filming this took a while, and that the actors spent a lot of time in the water during production. And apparently it was rather chilly.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter as part of a roundtable with co-stars Matthew McConaughey and Jessica Chastain, the Dark Knight Rises star recounts her experience:
I was feeling all sorts of weird flashes and things were getting a little hazy around the edges, and that’s when I turned to our first [assistant director], and I said, ‘Hey, I don’t know that much about hypothermia, but what are the symptoms?’ And I explained what was going on, and he said, “Oh! Like, right now?” And I’m like, “Yeah!” And so then he went over to Chris [Nolan], and Chris was like, ‘OK — let’s roll, let’s roll, let’s roll right now!’ And we were done shortly thereafter.
Yeah, I don’t ever want to be stranded in cold water for hours while wearing a leaky spacesuit. Real or pretend, that doesn’t sound like a particularly good time, but it sounds like it will make for an intense movie watching experience. And bonus, we probably won’t come anywhere close to hypothermia unless there’s a serious air conditioner malfunction.
Set in a future where climate change has progressed to the point where life on Earth won’t be sustainable much longer, McConaughey (because that’s who I would send) and a crew of intrepid explorers go in search of a new planet to call home. Early reviews have praised the film, comparing it to the likes of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001, and the picture they paint is one of a big, idea-driven sci-fi film that is still personal and emotional. And that sounds just about perfect to us.
Interstellar opens everywhere on November 7, but you can see it a few days early on film formats starting November 5.
