There is little doubt that all filmmakers want to make sure their movies are as realistic as possible, even films that delve into science fiction. Ad Astra director James Gray has even claimed that the space travel in his movie is the closest you'll see to the real thing. However, Gray still chose to defy science in one amazing moment in the film and it was all because of Brad Pitt's stunning performance.
First things first: Ad Astra might be a sci-fi movie but it's also a wholly human story that follows an astronaut (Pitt) searching for his lost father (Tommy Lee Jones) in space. Gray revealed to Indiewire that there is a scene in the film where Pitt was so caught up in an emotional moment in a zero-gravity spaceship that he wept unprompted. Since tears aren't supposed to roll down your face in zero gravity, Pitt insisted that the moment should be edited in post-production. However, Gray denied the request.
"‘You gotta replace my tear, that's not how it works in zero-gravity,'" Gray recounted Pitt's words as he tried to convince the director to edit the scene. "I said sorry, I'm keeping it. The acting's too good, buddy," Gray had responded.
It's an interesting decision for Gray but will the gravity-drawn tear really ruin the entire film? Our guess is, it won't and we might be too busy crying our eyes out in this particular scene to really think too much about science, anyway.
Ad Astra will premiere on September 20.
Related: IMAX Trailer for Brad Pitt's Ad Astra Gives Us More Plot
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Fantasy & Science Fiction