Interstellar is arguably one of the best sci-fi movies ever made.
Released on November 5, 2014, it’s the perfect blend of physics and beautiful storytelling.
With a runtime of 169 minutes, Interstellar is one of Christopher Nolan’s most memorable films.
Here are some interesting facts about Interstellar that you should know.
TARS, the AI machine in Interstellar, is real.
The real TARS isn’t precisely the complex AI machine you saw in the movie; rather, TARS is a giant puppet.
Interestingly, lollipop sticks inspired the robot’s design.
Behind the 200lbs (90.72kg) robot was Bill Irwin, who voiced the character and controlled its movements.
However, he left the more complicated moves for stunt man Mark Fichera.
The space suits that actors wore in Interstellar actually work.
Mary Zophres, the costume designer for Interstellar, had a small window to create the perfect space suits for the movie.
She set to work with her team, trying various designs and materials. For her, finding the balance between form and function was crucial.
Just like actual space suits, Zophres’ suits possess functioning oxygen units. Hence, the actors could breathe comfortably during the long shooting hours.
Doesn’t it get hot in the suits? That’s an excellent question!
The artist noted that in the costume design. Hence, the Interstellar space suits come equipped with cooling tubes that carry water — just like real spacesuits.
All that gear brings the Interstellar space suits to about 30lbs to 35lbs (13.5kg to 16kg).
The movie stays true to science.
Christopher Nolan wanted Interstellar to remain as close to actual science as possible.
As a result, he joined forces with the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics winner, Dr. Kip Thorne, on the project.
However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing as Dr. Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan had disputes.
While Nolan wanted to exceed the speed of light, Dr. Thorne stood his ground about staying true to science.
Nolan finally came around and agreed to Dr. Thorne’s solution.
They developed new CGI software just for the movie.
Keeping in line with Christopher Nolan’s desire to maintain scientific accuracy, Dr. Kip Thorne provided the theoretical equations for the wormhole and black hole simulation.
Paul J. Franklin and his team at Double Negative developed new CGI software that could realistically represent scientific phenomena in the film.
Anne Hathaway almost got hypothermia while shooting on the ice planet.
While shooting her scene on the ice planet, Anne Hathaway’s spacesuit didn’t get properly zipped and had let cold water in.
However, she didn’t get time off after informing director Christopher Nolan. So he pushed to wrap up the scene quickly instead.
Not to worry, shooting the scene didn’t take too long, and the talented actress was fine.
Steven Spielberg was originally supposed to direct Interstellar.
Steven Spielberg has made countless notable movies, but Interstellar is on the list of movies he never got to make.
After Dreamworks and Paramount split, Steven Spielberg couldn’t work on the film anymore because the story belonged to the latter.
What would Steven Spielberg’s Interstellar have looked like? We may never know.
However, the original story is distinct from Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.
Spielberg’s Interstellar would have explored a romantic relationship between Cooper and Brand.
Another notable difference would be Cooper returning to Earth in 2230 to meet a wasteland.
Also, the Chinese played a more significant role in Spielberg’s Interstellar, having arrived on the ice planet decades earlier.
World-renowned composer Hans Zimmer composed the score.
Christopher Nolan wanted a brand new score for Interstellar, and he got that.
He contacted Hans Zimmer and asked him to develop the score for the movie.
However, he didn’t give Zimmer much to go off on. He simply presented Zimmer with a single-page text describing the movie’s main themes.
So, without a script, title, or plot details, Zimmer created the score for Interstellar.
In the end, the score successfully embodied the heart of the movie.
Timothée Chalamet cried after seeing the movie.
In 2014, when Interstellar first hit the cinemas, Timothée Chalamet was relatively unknown.
Interstellar was his second feature film project, and he hoped it would help push his career forward.
However, at the screening, he realized his character’s role was much smaller and couldn’t stop the tears when he got home.
Thankfully, Timothée Chalamet got his big break soon after.
Only a few years later, his career got the push he needed with roles in Lady Bird, Call Me By Your Name, and Beautiful Boy.
They traveled to various locations around the world to film Interstellar.
The Interstellar cast and crew may not have traveled to outer space to shoot the movie, but they didn’t shoot in front of a green screen either.
Christopher Nolan didn’t want his movie to depend entirely on CGI. So, he took his crew around the world to capture the perfect scenes.
Some locations where Interstellar was shot include:
● The Eldhraun lava field in the southern region of Iceland
● Svínafellsjökull in the southern region of Iceland
● Mafabot in the southern region of Iceland
● Alberta, Canada
The interviews at the start of the movie were real.
Christopher Nolan used original clips from the 2012 documentary by Ken Burns — The Dust Bowl.
The documentary inspired some of the early scenes on Earth in the movie too.
Whether you’re a fan of epic science-fiction films or not, Interstellar is one of those movies that anyone can appreciate.
From the amazing shots to the well-researched scientific interpretation, the movie will surely leave you with a lasting impression.
And who knows? You might even pick up a newfound love for space exploration and technology.
