Post by swamprat on Mar 26, 2018 9:47:47 GMT -6
Unlikely Duo Teams Up for 'One Strange Rock': Q&A with Chris Hadfield and Darren Aronofsky
By Calla Cofield, Space.com Senior Writer
March 26, 2018
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and astronaut Chris Hadfield — two men who wouldn't normally cross paths — worked together on the upcoming National Geographic series "One Strange Rock." Earlier this year, the pair talked to reporters about the show's ambitious goals.
"One Strange Rock" is Aronofsky's television directorial debut. Hosted by Will Smith, the documentary is about Earth and the way so many seemingly different features of the planet actually work together in a symbiotic harmony to create the place we call home. Each episode focuses on a particular topic and utilizes interviews with eight astronauts (Hadfield leads two episodes) to help guide the narrative.
Best known for making movies like "Requiem for a Dream," "Black Swan" and, most recently, "Mother!" Aronofksy is a director who seems to enjoy making audiences squirm with discomfort (or watch with rapt attention, depending on your cinematic taste). Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut who, while living on the International Space Station, made a music video of himself singing David Bowie's classic ballad "Space Oddity." The video became a massive internet hit, and Hadfield has remained in the public eye as a strong promoter of science and exploration.
Perhaps what differentiates Hadfield and Aronofsky most is that Hadfield represents the very family-friendly picture of an astronaut, while much Aronofsky's previous work is far from appropriate for all ages. (But that's not true for everything the director has done, and "One Strange Rock" is family-friendly.) But the two men share many ideas about what "One Strange Rock" aims to accomplish. In January, they talked with a group of reporters about the show and what they hope audiences will get out of it.
Q: Darren, why did you want to take on a TV project, which you've never done before?
Darren Aronofsky: I think it was the fact that it was National Geographic, to start. I've been subscribing since I was a teenager, and I probably, at some point, wanted to be a NatGeo photographer. And I still get excited every month when my issue comes in. And actually, getting a [National Geographic magazine] cover for this show is definitely a bucket-list item for me.
And [the project] was also scary, which I always look for. Because to take all the different sciences, and try to blend them —
Chris Hadfield: [The show] has a lot of "-ologies."
Aronofsky: Yeah! How do you make something coherent [from all those]?
I think what they were looking for from me and [the show's co-executive producer, Ari Handel] was to create something emotional. And you know, I bet one of the big things that made me realize it was possible to do that was [Hadfield's] viral video, which was an incredibly emotional thing. So when we stumbled on the idea of telling it from the point of view of astronauts, that really sort of opened it up for us and gave us the courage.
By Calla Cofield, Space.com Senior Writer
March 26, 2018
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and astronaut Chris Hadfield — two men who wouldn't normally cross paths — worked together on the upcoming National Geographic series "One Strange Rock." Earlier this year, the pair talked to reporters about the show's ambitious goals.
"One Strange Rock" is Aronofsky's television directorial debut. Hosted by Will Smith, the documentary is about Earth and the way so many seemingly different features of the planet actually work together in a symbiotic harmony to create the place we call home. Each episode focuses on a particular topic and utilizes interviews with eight astronauts (Hadfield leads two episodes) to help guide the narrative.
Best known for making movies like "Requiem for a Dream," "Black Swan" and, most recently, "Mother!" Aronofksy is a director who seems to enjoy making audiences squirm with discomfort (or watch with rapt attention, depending on your cinematic taste). Hadfield is a retired Canadian astronaut who, while living on the International Space Station, made a music video of himself singing David Bowie's classic ballad "Space Oddity." The video became a massive internet hit, and Hadfield has remained in the public eye as a strong promoter of science and exploration.
Perhaps what differentiates Hadfield and Aronofsky most is that Hadfield represents the very family-friendly picture of an astronaut, while much Aronofsky's previous work is far from appropriate for all ages. (But that's not true for everything the director has done, and "One Strange Rock" is family-friendly.) But the two men share many ideas about what "One Strange Rock" aims to accomplish. In January, they talked with a group of reporters about the show and what they hope audiences will get out of it.
Q: Darren, why did you want to take on a TV project, which you've never done before?
Darren Aronofsky: I think it was the fact that it was National Geographic, to start. I've been subscribing since I was a teenager, and I probably, at some point, wanted to be a NatGeo photographer. And I still get excited every month when my issue comes in. And actually, getting a [National Geographic magazine] cover for this show is definitely a bucket-list item for me.
And [the project] was also scary, which I always look for. Because to take all the different sciences, and try to blend them —
Chris Hadfield: [The show] has a lot of "-ologies."
Aronofsky: Yeah! How do you make something coherent [from all those]?
I think what they were looking for from me and [the show's co-executive producer, Ari Handel] was to create something emotional. And you know, I bet one of the big things that made me realize it was possible to do that was [Hadfield's] viral video, which was an incredibly emotional thing. So when we stumbled on the idea of telling it from the point of view of astronauts, that really sort of opened it up for us and gave us the courage.
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