Yahoo Movies ‘Gravity’ takes Sandra Bullock out of her comfort zone
For someone who has a severe fear of flying and absolutely no desire to travel into space, Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock sure knows how to pick her movie roles.
Bullock’s latest film “Gravity” (which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last night) puts her in the role of Dr. Ryan Stone, an astronaut who becomes stranded in orbit after her space shuttle is destroyed by a meteor shower. Director Alfonso Cuarón demanded a tremendous amount from Bullock and co-star George Clooney for the movie, which required the two A-listers to act for hours at a time while strapped into rigs specially designed to simulate zero gravity environments.
“Every day was uncomfortable,” Bullock told a group of reporters in Toronto, wincing at the memory. “There was some blood and blisters.”
The 49-year-old actress compared the whole experience to being a performer in Cirque du Soleil. “There were these contraptions that literally took 20 minutes to get in to, that harnessed and locked you into something that you had no control over once it started.”
In addition to being physically unpleasant to shoot and perform under such conditions, Bullock described the whole process as slightly disorienting.
“I saw nothing, I heard nothing,” Bullock said. “I saw these lights, there was blackness everywhere, and I just had [Alfonso’s] voice in my head.”
While shooting “Gravity” may not have been the most physically or mentally comfortable experience for its two stars, Bullock said the pain and suffering was worth it at the end of the day.
“I appreciate not being in my comfort zone because that means I’ve gotten as far away from myself as possible,” the Oscar winner said. “To be out of your comfort zone unlocks things that scare you, frustrate you, make you so insecure – but it also forces you to dig deep.”
Cuarón praised Bullock’s harrowing performance in the film, calling the level of discipline she displayed “scary.” However, it was actually Bullock who was initially afraid – afraid of what Cuarón had planned for her.
“When [“Gravity’] came along it scared me on every level,” she said. “It was originally going to be shot in the ‘Vomit Comet.’”
The so-called “Vomit Comet” is an aircraft operated by NASA designed to mimic the feeling of weightlessness by diving and climbing over and over again. Director Ron Howard shot portions of his own space film “Apollo 13” aboard the Comet.
“I’m deathly afraid of flying,” Bullock confessed. “It’s one of my greatest fears, so I thought it was time to get over that fear.”
Bullock said she was grateful that they didn’t end up shooting “Gravity” on the infamous plane, but believes the fear she experienced was important to the film.
"We're never really challenged unless a disaster happens," she said. "I didn't love it while I was doing it, but I knew why it was important."
More TIFF 2013 Features on Yahoo:
