Academy Award Winner Ariana DeBose Spilled On Filming Space Thriller "I.S.S."
There's a reason Ariana DeBose is ever on the rise. From her stint as "The Bullet" in Lin Manuel Miranda's Hamilton on Broadway to winning an Academy Award for her performance as Anita in West Side Story, DeBose just doesn't quit. And while she's sang her way through it all — and beautifully, might I add — she's upping the ante with her role in I.S.S., playing an astronaut who's left to navigate international relations...while literally in space. I sat down to talk with DeBose about all things filming on and off set.
B+C: It's such a unique profession to be an astronaut, right? and to convey that so well, so convincingly, like, how did you train for this kind of role? And I'm also really curious, does your background as a dancer, did that help you at all in any way?
Ariana DeBose: Well, I mean, when this project came to me after I had made West side story, I had made the prom and I was in the process of making shma G do so when this script came to me, I was so enthralled by what Nick Schafer had done.
And I loved that it was so different from anything that I knew the world was going to see me do at that point.
And I thought it would be a great challenge to like, really dig in and, and try and figure out what is that, who is that person who functions so much from this science based fact driven, like kind of black and white way of thinking because it's very not me.
B+C: I don't think that she's so black and white though.
Ariana DeBose: I mean, I feel like she becomes less, I think she becomes less the way when I first approached the work, I feel like she knew what she was doing and that's what it was.
And da da, da da and the circumstances she finds herself in, I won't necessarily say it softens her, but it definitely like broadens her horizons I think is a person that made made decisions that she never thought she would have to make — as a result of the moment she found her, she found herself in if that makes sense.
But the one thing that I thought would be helpful and it turned out it was helpful in the making of this film was my dance background.
I think when I said yes, I had this idea, they were just gonna put me in a zero gravity tank and then shoot that.
So we — myself and my colleagues — we trained for about two weeks to be able to work in harnesses.
So we had, we all had harnesses on that were passing around our hips and then connected to two tethers and they were hooked up to a gantry system and we all had to learn to fly individually and together.
So it was, it took a great deal of time and some very specific choreography and a whole team of people behind the scenes to help us accomplish what you see as simulated zero gravity.
B+C: I feel like that two week training must have contributed to something I noticed pretty early on in the film. There was this really organic camaraderie and chemistry with this group. Can you tell me about how y'all worked to develop that?
Ariana DeBose: Well, we shot the movie during the pandemic, so in order to make the film at all, we followed copious safety protocols and then we also lived in the same in the same complex, right?
So, you know, there was sort of an inherent implied trust, but by showing up, we were going to take care of each other. And, and so in a way, I feel like art kind of imitated life. We, you know, these are six people, we come from very different walks of life. And we just had to become family very quickly.
This is also an indie film, so it's not like we took months to shoot this film — it maybe took six weeks, I think...something like that. So it was very fast and furious, and so I think when you realize you're on a time crunch, you know, really meet the other person where they're at.
B+C: I feel like maybe it was easier for you and John Gallagher Junior as two Broadway vets [to get along]. Did y'all ever swap any like Broadway stories on set in between takes? What was that like being the two Broadway people [on set]?
Ariana DeBose: You know, we didn't really swap war stories, but I feel like...you know, he did have his guitar with him, so he would play. Or if we were hanging out by the beach or something, sometimes he'd have his guitar with him and he'd play and sing or sometimes we'd like sing songs together every once in a while.
But we just literally kind of like hung out and palled around. Like I remember there was one night we were all hanging out with at Chris Messina's place and staring at the moon —I think it might have been a full moon — and just eating dark chocolate. You know, he [John] loves dark chocolate. You know, just like everybody sharing an adult beverage and talking about life and love and the pursuit of happiness.
B+C: And I really do think that comes across in the film. So clearly, like even with your character, she is apprehensive and then quickly everyone makes her feel at home. And especially, I think Mika is a big part of that. Can you tell me about their, their relationship throughout the film?
Ariana DeBose: Well, Nika is played by, you know, the incredible, incredible actress Masha — my God. If you are not familiar with her work, get into it, I think she's a powerhouse.
But these two characters, you know, I think Nika is, you know, she's very confident she's been on the I.S.S., she knows what she's doing. And I think, you know — Masha herself is Russian and there's an implied confidence, and it can feel kind of aggressive, but it's really comes from this this very loving, compassionate place and they become friends.
Nika is a true friend and you get to see what love looks like through, through Doctor Foster's eyes, she gets to like watch love between characters. And then, you know, when shit really hits the fan, you know, these two women are kind of the ones trying to talk sense into the men folk.
There are different tactics used in extraordinary circumstances and I think these two women are really trying to hatch a plan that can, that can actually save lives. One is a bit more extreme than the other, but I think the women kind of are the heart of the piece.
B+C: Something that I noticed that was such a quick part of the film, but something that I found to be very impactful was that your character was queer...but in a way that was just so normalized — it wasn't this big to do. And I'm curious for you as, as both an actress and a queer woman in real life, what was that like for you?
Ariana DeBose: It's part of what I loved about the piece. I loved that, you know, her queerness was not a plot point. You know what I mean? Her queerness did not drive the plot forward. It just was a part of a part of her identity.
I hope we're moving towards the time where that's how we can actually function as a society where we are not as humans defined by our queerness or our sexuality.
Like I will sit here and tell you all day long: I am much more than like queer identity, I promise you that. So, you know, it might make me more interesting to some people. But she's [Dr. Foster] not a one trick pony.
B+C: She's literally an astronaut.
Ariana DeBose: Literally an astronaut. Like the queerness is not nearly as interesting as the science! Make it make sense, you know what I mean?
B+C: I'm very curious to know that after all of this, would you ever consider going to space yourself?
Ariana DeBose: Oh, no. Now that I've done the research, I would like to maintain my own romanticized idea of the cosmos. And now that it is very plain to me that the human body is actually not really meant to be up there, I will be staying here and focusing on saving the planet we live on.
Watch Our Full Interview With Ariana DeBose Here!
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This interview has been condensed for clarity.
Header image via Presley Ann/Getty Images for Mandarin Oriental Residences Beverly Hills
