Jason Clarke has admitted he almost needed a mild sedative to deal with filming the claustrophobic scenes in First Man.
Jason stars opposite Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy in Damien Chazelle’s new film, which tells the story of the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.
Damien decided on lots of scenes depicting the space man’s chosen career, which meant the cast including Ryan, Corey Stoll, as Buzz Aldrin, and Jason, who plays Ed White the first American to walk in space, all had to shoot in rockets.
“(It was) insanely claustrophobic. It was almost to the point where you needed a mild sedative. I don’t say that lightly,” Jason told British newspaper Metro. “Claustrophobia is not something you can just turn off. Damien really made no exceptions. The camera had to fit the reality and everybody had that mantra.
“The capsules were scaled to real life. It was not fun — we’re not pilots, we’re not used to doing this every day. So I wasn’t used to the fact I’m totally reliant once I was strapped in. I can’t do anything: my oxygen, my communications, my ability to get out, it’s beyond my control.”
The film is in cinemas now, with Kyle Chandler and Claire Foy also starring. And being cast in the La La Land director’s new movie was a dream come true for Australian star Jason.
“It was in my bucket list to do a space movie,” the 49-year-old smiled. “Blade Runner, 2001, they’re a couple of my favorites. To do this story, with this team and the access this team got, was a pleasure. The size and scope of this movie… that’s quite rare.”
