Okay so maybe we wouldn’t normally have pegged ourselves as science fiction fans, but when a movie is good, a movie is good and there’s no denying it. Case in point; sitting through two hours and twenty minutes of a film (minus your phone because it’s been taken away hashtag embargo) and not even realising how long has passed.
But then, from pretty much the second it was thought up by author Andy Weir, The Martian has been a preeetty impressive tale. From a self-published runaway best-seller of a book (that started as a series of posts on his blog, no less!) to a major blockbuster movie that tells the tale of a man left alone on Mars, both its real-life beginnings and its on-screen rendition is rife with themes of faith and persistence. Breaking boundaries, not least in the film industry, the film also marks one of the first times Kate Mara has gotten to share abundant screen time with another woman (!). Her realisation, not ours.
We caught up with the _House of Card_s actress ahead of the UK release of the movie to talk working with Matt Damon, inspiring young girls to want careers in science and technology and whether or not she would ever actually climb aboard a spaceship. The short answer? No.
Hi Kate! It was the UK premiere of The Martian last week and you’ve been doing loooads of promo. How’s it going and are you tired of talking yet?
It’s going great but haha yeah I’m bored of hearing myself talk.
We loved the movie! Going into space seems like the trip of a lifetime. If you had the opportunity to go for reals, would you take it?
No. I’ve never had the desire to go into space and after researching what it takes to actually become an astronaut and the discipline and all the sacrifices you have to make to do that I definitely wouldn’t - I don’t have it in me. And also it’s quite scary!
What was it like working with Matt Damon? He’s in much of the movie by himself – did you spend much time on set with him and is he as awesome as he seems?
Not really unfortunately; in the film he’s mostly stuck on Mars by himself! But we did have a few scenes with all the astronauts together before Matt’s character gets left behind, which is great as he’s a fantastic actor and such an easy guy to work with.
You often portray quite deep and varied women in your roles – is this a conscious decision? What’s your selection process like and if you could tell any story, what or whose would it be?
I like to challenge myself and find different characters to explore so it doesn’t get boring [but] it’s not really anything specific I look for when choosing my next project; I like all different kinds of stories and genres.
Jessica Chastain, your co-star in The Martian, recently said that she hopes films like this one may inspire little girls to grow up wanting to be things like scientists - is this something you hope for too and what do you think this disparity says about us as a society?
I feel the same way Jessica does about all that, for sure. I hope that when younger girls or even people who are trying to figure out their paths in life watch this type of movie and see the different female characters and the incredible things that they do in the world of science and things like that… hopefully that does inspire them to want to explore that more.
The Martian is out September 30th
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Follow Alya on Twitter @moorizZLA
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.