Ryan Gosling may play a pretty convincing Neil Armstrong in the new biopic "First Man," but that iconic role as the famed Apollo 11 moonwalker didn't inspire the movie star to dream of taking such a "giant leap" in real life.
In an interview with Space.com at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Gosling said that if he were given the opportunity to blast off on a mission to the moon, he would pass. "I had a great experience pretending to go there, and I'm happy with that," he said.
Meanwhile, his co-star Claire Foy (who plays Neil Armstrong's wife, Janet) seemed a bit more open to the idea of going to the moon, but "not right now," she said. "Once they've done, you know, at least 4,000 trips, I'll get on one." Considering that no one has set foot on the moon in nearly 46 years — and that no human missions to the lunar surface are currently in the works — Foy may never make it to the moon at this rate. [NASA's Historic Apollo 11 Moon Landing in Pictures]
Gosling may have no desire to walk on the moon, but his experience on the set of "First Man" brought him closer to a real moonwalking experience than most Earthlings will ever get. "All the things that we shot on the moon were very surreal," he said. "They did such a good job of sculpting that lunar surface, and I think the only time I was completely in the Apollo 11 suit I was listening to comms from the original recording, so I could hear Buzz, I could hear mission control."
"I felt very selfish in a way, because I was having this really special experience, but I think the beauty of the way Damien shot it is that the audience gets to experience it the same way I did," he said, referring to the director, Damien Chazelle. All of the moon scenes were filmed with IMAX cameras to provide an "immersive experience" for viewers, Chazelle told Space.com.
"First Man" comes out in movie theaters this Friday (Oct. 12).
Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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