Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast, Ep 92: The “Ad Astra” director opens up about his struggle directing what many are calling his masterpiece.
James Gray is a filmmaker known for his work with actors who, like “Ad Astra” star Brad Pitt, go out of their way to work with the celebrated writer/director. Yet with his latest film about an astronaut (Pitt) embarking on secret mission to Neptune, Gray found himself at a loss when it came to directing Pitt during a sequence in which the actor hung from a wire in black box, one that the visual effects team would later convert into outer space. In discussing the difficulty he had directing in this environment, Gray recalled a lesson he learned at USC film school from successful actress-turned-legendary professor Nina Foch.
“She used to say, ‘The essence of a scene was what does one person want from the other,’” said Gray, while a guest on IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit. “And here I certainly found myself, with one actor, not two, in…
