‘It’s not something I like to do’: How was the best scene from Christopher Nolan’s Interstar filmed?

Interstellar celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Considered one of the greatest science fiction films of all time and one of Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious works – an idea he had simply from a few musical notes by Hans Zimmer – the film grossed $729 million. At the worldwide box office, it broke more than one… especially because of one scene.

Yes, in November 2024, it will be a decade since we witnessed one of the most moving scenes in movie history: Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) discovers that he has missed 23 years of his children in three hours. . Recall that while traveling through space and time, he aged exponentially slower than his children, Tom (Timothee Chalamet, then Casey Affleck) and Murphy (Mackenzie Foy, then Jessica Chastain), who remained on Earth.

Speaking to The Atlantic, Christopher Nolan Returned to shoot the controversial scene, one of the most moving in the film, and especially the moment when Cooper looks at his children who have grown up without him for years. That’s when the tragedy happens: he left them a few hours ago, now they are adults. The emotional impact is great, as is the actor’s performance in the moment.

• Interstellar: This Scene Surprised Everyone, Christopher Nolan Explains

And it was during the filming of this essential scene Christopher Nolan Broke His Own Rules: He did two things that he wouldn’t normally do, but that made sense in the moment. Below are his fascinating words in detail:

“The beautiful truth is that it was in my brother’s script and it was one of the things that made me want to make the film. As a parent, this seemed like such a powerful story. This beautiful sequence has always been the North Star of the film – and certain words of the script, the details of what is said in the messages, have never changed. We got our first close up of McConaughey’s reaction. We never do that on stage. You start with a wide shot and then get closer. But he hadn’t seen the video messages – we pre-recorded them all, so everything was there in the moment – and he wanted to tell us his first reaction. We did two close-ups and I think I used the second one because the first one was so raw. Then we shot monitors and wider shots and put it all together.“

“The last piece of the puzzle was Hans Zimmer’s beautiful music, which was not really found in the film. I think he literally called it “recording the organ”. My editor, Lee Smith, and I tried to play fair while we were in the room, and we both felt it was devastating. Another thing we did, which I don’t think I’ve done in any of my other films, is to use music as diegetic sound: when the messages stop, the music stops. It almost breaks the fourth wall, and it’s not something I like to do, but it was perfect and appropriate for the moment.“

• 4.5 out of 5: This is the best sci-fi movie and the ending could have been much more tragic

If the magnitudeinterstellar It lies in its ingenious plot, its breathtaking visuals, its impressive special effects, its grandiose music – which Hans Zimmer composed without even knowing what the film was about! – and his acting performances, he also and above all stands in this universal parent-child relationship, as described by Nolan at this exact moment, as the holder of the greatest power, connecting the science fiction at the center of the film with the relationship between Cooper and his children. – and especially Murphy.

Murphy must have been a boy

Christopher Nolan It also explained why Murphy’s character interstellar is a girl, not a boy, as originally planned by her brother, Jonathan Nolan, in the first version of the script.

“I have a daughter who is the character’s age. In my brother’s project, it was the son. I became that girl because Flora was around the age I was making her. As my children grew up, I developed this desire to hold on to the past. You become quite melancholic because of how fast things are moving. Every parent talks about it, every parent experiences it. So Interstellar comes from a very personal place.“

Released in 2014, the unrivaled sci-fi film follows the journey of a group of astronauts who cross a recently discovered rift in space-time to explore a new galaxy in search of an inhabited planet to save humanity. leaves its audience bewildered and mesmerized, interstellar There is a real experience in space and time – and a difficult journey to experience, absolutely.

Interstellar is available on VOD.