TIFF 2013—SANDRA BULLOCK TALKS ABOUT “GRAVITY” MOVIE AND HER FEAR OF FLYING

Sandra Bullock came to TIFF 2013 to talk about her movie Gravity co-starring George Clooney—a thrill ride that will have you on the edge of your seat

Alfonso Cuaron’s newest film, Gravity, made its debut over the weekend and the director joined Sandra Bullock for a press conference during the Toronto Film Festival to discuss one of the most buzzed about movies.

The film tells the frightening tale of a pair of astronauts (Bullock and George Clooney) who are separated from their space station during a mission. Bullock’s character, Dr. Ryan Stone, is left soaring through space with seemingly no help in sight. The film’s plot has been kept under wraps with focus being on the spectacular imagery of the film.

Cuaron spoke about the difficulties of filming in zero gravity. “When you’re staging stuff, you’re used to working with horizons and weight. … Everything is in constant motion.”

In order to make Cuaron’s vision a reality, an entirely new set of tools needed to be used. “There was a lot of careful planning and calculating,” he said. “First with the choreography, but also with how we were going to shoot it. And that was the biggest nightmare, because there was no technology, so we had to invent our new set of tools.”

“It was like being a part of Cirque du Soleil. It was the most bizarre series of contraptions,” Bullock added. “It was genius what they were able to come up with,” said the star citing a system of wires, which allowed the actors to be manipulated like puppets, including an office chair on a hydraulic lift and a bicycle seat on a pole among the eccentric gadgets used.

On top of being visually stunning, the film is also an emotional roller coaster and stressful not only for the audience, but also for the actors. “Emotionally, it was the Wild West. You had no idea what was coming day to day,” Bullock recalled. “I missed my son, being with my son, I missed being with people. But at the end of the day I got to go outside and enjoy the sun, and I was grateful.”

“One of the first shots we did was in the vomit comet, the plane that allows you to achieve weightlessness. And I’m deathly afraid of flying,” Bullock continued. “But it was good to do that early and getting over that fear.” Despite getting over the fear, Bullock confirmed that she had “no desire to go to space, unless when I’m 80 my son says, ‘Mom I want to go to space with you.’”

Gravity stars Sandra Bullock, George Clooney and Eric Michels, and opens October 4.

—By Sarah Khan