[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Space Cadet.]

From writer/director Liz W. Garcia (Purple Hearts, The Lifeguard), the Prime Video comedy Space Cadet follows Rex Simpson (Emma Roberts), a bartender and celebration girl with dreams of finding herself into NASA’s astronaut coaching system, even if she does not really have the needed qualifications. Determined not to let her lack of scientific coaching hold her back, Rex goes all-in with her coaching, in order to turn out to be 1 of the prime trainees and get herself sent to the International Space Station. Along the way, she captures the focus of the program’s deputy director, Logan (Tom Hopper), who’s attracted to her wit and instincts without having figuring out just how close he is to uncovering the truth.

During this 1-on-1 with Collider, Hopper talked about his wish to be a portion of a really feel-very good comedy, playing a character whose identity is a lot more wrapped up in his job than letting go and possessing enjoyable, the appeal of somebody like Rex, his personal fascination with space, embracing the height distinction involving himself and Roberts, selecting a karaoke song, and the wild telephone conversations Logan has when checking on Rex’s references. He also shares the finish of Black Sails compared to wrapping up The Umbrella Academy, and why he in no way seriously says goodbye to the characters he plays.

Space Cadet (2024)

Space Cadet follows Tiffany “Rex” Simpson, a celebration girl from Florida, whose lifelong dream of going to space appears far-fetched. However, a fluke lands her in NASA’s hugely competitive astronaut coaching system. Despite her lack of scientific experience, Rex relies on her fast wit, determination, and moxie to navigate the challenges of the system. As she tries to preserve her correct background a secret, she captures the focus of NASA directors Pam and Logan. The film humorously explores Rex’s journey as she strives to prove that she has what it requires to attain the stars.

Release Date

July 4, 2024

Director

Liz W. Garcia

Cast

Emma Roberts , Tom Hopper , Poppy Liu , Gabrielle Union , Kuhoo Verma , Desi Lydic , Sebastián Yatra , Sam Robards

Runtime

110 Minutes

Writers

Liz W. Garcia

Collider: This film is so considerably enjoyable.

TOM HOPPER: Oh, good. I’m seriously glad. That’s what we hoped it would be for individuals. It’s just really feel-very good. I consider individuals require a bit of really feel-very good these days. I like becoming a portion of that feeling for individuals. I consider it is vital.

I like a messy character that you can root for. There’s just one thing so enjoyable about that.

HOPPER: Because we’re all a mess, seriously, are not we? We can all relate to that.

Why Is Tom Hopper’s Straight-Laced Character Attracted to Emma Roberts’ Human Wrecking Ball?

This feels like a character that is quite reserved. He’s skilled, at least when we see him at operate. When you are reading a script with a character like that, is it a lot more of a challenge to get a study on him? What most stood out to you with him?

HOPPER: I’m usually hunting for characters that are somewhat relatable, or as I study them, I see my version of them or how I can relate to them. For me, Logan represents the individuals out there who have gone by means of a technique to turn out to be one thing, to turn out to be a job. And then, their identity becomes their job and no longer them, and individuals see them as the job. He’s fallen into that trap. He’s had a good profession. He’s really profitable. But who is Logan? Who is this guy? I like to consider that Logan, up to his teen years, was likely pushed into this educational technique by his parents, but he was essentially a bit of a celebration animal and was usually fighting with that duality of, “Do I go out and party, or do I have to do my work?” There was usually that side of him, and it is likely a side that he’s feared coming back, creeping back in, and he’s in no way permitted it to. Rex then comes flying in like a wrecking ball, and that is why he’s so drawn to her. She represents that slightly crazier side of him that he’s shut away, and then he enables that to come out once more by means of her and that is likely why he falls for her, seriously. She represents what he in the end desires to bring back in himself. He’s as well tidy. He’s as well collectively.

In setting out to do a comedy that also takes place to be a really feel-very good film, was that all on the web page in the script from the starting, or did that evolve? Were there ongoing conversations, in particular as you guys figured out how your humor finest match collectively?

HOPPER: It study that way. That’s why I liked it. I wanted a comedy. That’s what I was hunting for when I was reading scripts at the time. It was really exclusive in that way. I was like, “Oh, you really leave this movie feeling better and like you should follow your dreams and go after what you want. And at the same time, you’re laughing throughout.” For me, it is really uncommon to have that sort of message at the finish of a film, as properly as it becoming funny. And then, when speaking to Liz [Garcia], and collaborating with her and Emma [Roberts] and [Gabrielle] Union, it was all about, how can we lift it even a lot more? How can we bring a lot more laughs to it? How can we make it a lot more enjoyable? The whole ensemble brought themselves to these roles and lifted it even a lot more, and Liz did a good job in guiding us by means of that.

Related

‘Space Cadet’: Emma Roberts’ Party Girl Becomes NASA’s Only Hope in First Image

From Florida to space!

Probably every person has deemed going to space or believed about what it may well be like, at some point. Because it is sort of that massive unknown, if you consider as well lengthy about it, it appears sort of terrifying, and most individuals do not ever essentially try to do so. Is it one thing you had ever believed about? Had you ever dreamed about becoming an astronaut or asking yourself about what going into space would be like?

HOPPER: I’ve in no way dreamed about becoming an astronaut, but I have usually been fascinated with space and what’s out there, primarily due to my fascination with extraterrestrials. I’ve usually been like, “Well, it can’t just be us.” I’ve gone down crazy rabbit holes on alien encounters and watched a bunch of documentaries exactly where I’ve been like, “They’ve definitely been here, for sure.” There’s as well considerably proof. Either that, or there’s a higher point on this planet that is one thing none of us know about, or there’s some sort of simulation theory. Space, as a point, fascinates me, but I’ve in no way had the wish to want to go out there. It’s a lot more about, what is out there? It becomes scary if you delve as well far into it in your thoughts. You commence to just freak oneself out.

‘Space Cadet’s Tom Hopper and Emma Roberts Embraced Their Dramatic Height Difference

The hug involving you and Emma Roberts when you initial meet is funny simply because you are so considerably taller than she is. What was that like to figure out?

HOPPER: We embraced it, seriously. We embraced the height distinction, and that she could just jump on him and climb on him and use him as this massive climbing frame and have no qualms about it. The enjoyable of it, seriously, is that exactly where she’s from, that is what you do, and exactly where he’s from, it is just not what you do, at all. For me, that was good. I was like, “Let’s just lean into it.” There’s undoubtedly a massive height distinction involving me and Emma, for positive.

I also seriously loved the karaoke duet you and Emma have with “Mr. Jones.” Who chose that song? Did you get to rehearse it? Do you in no way want to hear that song once more?

HOPPER: Sometimes it leaves you with good memories, and at times it leaves you with absolute dread of ever hearing it once more. This was likely the former. I seriously like undertaking that scene. We essentially didn’t know till the evening prior to we shot it, and it was my initial scene to shoot on the film. I’d just flown in, and we had to go straight for a rehearsal. It could have been 1 of 3 songs, and they lastly picked, “Mr. Jones,” which worked out good. I was pleased they chose it simply because that was the 1 I was most familiar with. It worked out seriously good. It was a seriously enjoyable scene to shoot, in the finish. We had been each really nervous about it, but it essentially turned out good.

Related

Emma Roberts Aims for the Stars in First ‘Space Cadet’ Trailer

The film debuts this July on Prime Video.

You also have a lot of telephone conversations with Poppy Liu, undertaking unique voices and unique sound effects. What was essentially going on for you, in these scenes? Did you just have some random individual reading lines off-camera? Did you get to know what she would be undertaking, at all?

HOPPER: People took turns. It was either Liz, the director, reading the lines, or Liz’s assistant. They’d currently shot a lot of these scenes from the other side, so I got to watch all of these and I knew what was going on. But Liz was like, “Feel absolutely free to react in your personal head to what ever and throw what ever you want in.” So, I had a good time on my personal, undertaking pretend telephone conversations. I just got to react as I wanted, seriously, inside the realm of the scene. It was essentially seriously enjoyable for me. Sometimes telephone conversations can be difficult if you do not have the actual individual there, but it essentially turned out to be really enjoyable.

You and Gabrielle Union are quite considerably side by side all through the film. What do you consider the history of these characters was, prior to when we meet them?

HOPPER: That’s a very good point. I’ve in no way seriously believed about that. They’ve certainly worked their way up collectively. I consider she’s usually been slightly ahead of him, but they’ve been operating really closely with each and every other for a lengthy time. This is group 40, or a lot more, of these cadets. They do this all the time. This is just the initial time that they’re attempting to mix it up. They know the way that each and every other functions, really properly. It’s a enjoyable dynamic. It was good to operate with Gab.

Tom Hopper Was Very Satisfied With the Endings of Both ‘Black Sails’ and ‘The Umbrella Academy’

I was such a fan of Black Sails and such a large champion of that show, which I wrote about a lot and will usually be 1 of my favourite shows. How did the finish of that series and your time on that series evaluate to the ending of The Umbrella Academy with that cast? Do you really feel like you reached a satisfying conclusion with each and every of these characters and their stories? What had been the endings of these experiences like?

HOPPER: Black Sails was an extraordinary encounter. In terms of a character arc, you can not seriously want for considerably greater than that, as an actor. I was happy with the finish of Black Sails. I felt like we got Billy Bones to a location exactly where you could see how he became that man in that tavern at the commence of Treasure Island. I saw that man by the finish. Going from that fresh-faced pirate in Season 1, a young man beginning off in that planet, to then becoming that broken man in that tavern down the line, I saw that, and I was pleased with how that ended. I consider the boys – Dan [Shotz] and John [Steinberg] and Robert [Levine] – essentially did a good job on that. They had been brilliant. I was really pleased with that. I’m nevertheless finest mates with a lot of the guys from Black Sails. I’m really close to Luke Roberts, Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold. We speak routinely. I just worked with Luke Roberts once more on one thing simply because we’re so tight. We see each and every other all the time.

In terms of how The Umbrella Academy compares, we had been like a family members. It was a weird ending to shoot. We completed shooting it final June/July, just prior to the actors’ strike, and it was a really emotional finish. It’s an emotional finish to the show, which you will see. I’m about to do the press tour with these guys, for the final season, and I consider that is when that will hit me. It didn’t seriously hit me on set simply because that was just about finishing the show. When I see us, as a group, for likely the final time, that is likely when it will hit me. I like these guys so considerably. I’m close to all of them, in such a exclusive way, simply because we seriously did turn out to be a family members. They’re like my siblings, seriously. It will be emotional. But I’m seriously pleased with how we ended that, as properly. It’s usually good to finish a show adequately. I’ve been in the fortunate position to in no way have been in a show exactly where we’ve had to finish it abruptly, or it just gets canceled. I’m really fortunate that we’ve gotten to comprehensive shows.

Related

Tom Hopper Teases an Exciting Ending for ‘The Umbrella Academy’

“There’s bucket loads of [fun].”

You know the ending of a film is inevitable simply because it is all ideal there in your script. With a Television show, it feels so unique simply because you do not know how lengthy the show will go for, and these two shows felt like they had such close ensemble casts.

HOPPER: Yeah, it is really, really unique. They’re absolutely exclusive experiences. It’s also saying goodbye to your character. Someone stated to me, “Have you said goodbye to Luther?” And I was like, “Oh, my God, I’ve never even thought of that.” Some actors will say goodbye to their character, but I’ve in no way performed that. I’ve in no way believed of it that way simply because, for me, they reside on. They reside on, on a platform like Netflix or what ever. It’s performed, but that character will forever exist. For me, it is not about saying goodbye, but about generating that point and going, “Right, there we go. That’s done.” I’m seriously pleased that they are the way they are simply because you do get attached to them. You get attached to the cast, you get attached to the character, you get attached to the writing. It’s unique to a film exactly where you have seven or eight weeks to shoot a character, and then that is that. It’s a a lot more immersive, exclusive encounter, and then it is performed.

Space Cadet is obtainable to stream on Prime Video. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Prime Video