With the budget of a blockbuster and a fall release date, the hopes for “Interstellar” are two-fold: connect enough with audiences to recoup the estimated $165 million production budget, and to connect with the industry-at-large to get some awards traction. While Paramount has thus far focused on selling an original property with no franchise potential to the mainstream public, with Christopher Nolan’s space epic now out in every theater imaginable (no matter what kind of projector employed therein), it’s time for the studio to focus on the awards race. What better way to connect with potential awards voters than for Nolan to stop by the Academy Theater in New York with a few of his cast members in tow?
This past Tuesday night, following a screening of the film for Oscar voters and industry types, Nolan, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain took part in the Academy’s Q&A series, “Academy Conversations.” Last night the official YouTube page for the Oscars posted a 14-minute-long excerpt from the talk that featured everything from McConaughey and Chastain’s initial trepidation in taking on roles in such a large film to anecdotes about what Nolan doesn’t allow on his sets. Here’s a hint: it starts with the letter ‘p.’
The video is a good, albeit brief, watch for fans of the film. Watch “Academy Conversations: Interstellar” below followed by a new featurette and a bonus video of Nolan introducing his first film "Following" at the 1999 Rotterdam Film Festival (via Eyes On Cinema).
