Puppeteering Project Hail Mary

Puppeteering Project Hail Mary

From Imaginary Worlds by Eric Molinsky | Daylight Media

March 25, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

This episode explores the puppeteering of the alien character Rocky in the film adaptation of Project Hail Mary, featuring an interview with puppeteer James Ortiz.

When I interviewed Andy Weir in 2021 about his novel Project Hail Mary, he told me that the movie adaptation was already being planned starring Ryan Gosling. The big question was how would they bring the alien character of Rocky to life. Would they use CGI or practical effects? Now that the film is in theaters, we have the answer. While there is some use of digital effects, Rocky is mostly performed by the puppeteer James Ortiz. James has a deep background in theater but he had never worked on a film before, let alone a sci-fi blockbuster. I talked with James about the delicate balance of operating an incredibly sophisticated five-legged puppet while giving Rocky a distinct personality and building a rapport with Ryan Gosling, who relies heavily on improvisation. This episode is sponsored by IngramSpark and Audible. Get 15% off your first order of 15 more books at IngramSpark using the code IMAGINARY15. This offer expires at the end of the year. Listen to the audiobook of Project Hail Mary at Audible.com/hailmary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Eric Molinsky

Guest: James Ortiz

Topics covered

  • puppeteering
  • film adaptation
  • sci-fi
  • theater
  • improvisation

Keywords

  • puppeteering
  • Project Hail Mary
  • James Ortiz
  • Ryan Gosling
  • sci-fi
  • theater
  • improvisation

Sponsors

IngramSpark, Audible

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Project Hail Mary

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