‘Stowaway’ stars Shamier Anderson and Anna Kendrick tell us what they really think of spacesuits

Stowaway, a new sci-fi film, is all about a three-person team starting their two-year mission to Mars in an attempt to build a colony. The team’s journey is thrown into jeopardy when they discover that a member of the ground crew is still on board and must make a difficult decision with limited supplies.

Shamier Anderson, who plays Michael, a space launch support engineer and unintended stowaway on a mission to Mars, told Etalk’s Traci Melchor all about being the stowaway.

“I love what I do. I love this profession. I love acting. I love storytelling and to be a part of this ensemble is truly a special moment for me. I’m just excited for people to see it…I am the stowaway and it’s dope,” he said.

Traci had to ask Anderson all about his fit for the movie, which was a very heavy spacesuit.

“The spacesuit for me? As a Scarborough man. Fam, I was prepared for that. Scarborough mans go to the moon all the time. No, I’m joking, but I put on a spacesuit which was definitely heavy. It Is heavy and very hot.”

The Canadian actor went on to describe what goes on under the spacesuit.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but under the spacesuit, there’s this thing you have to wear almost like a leotard type of thing that have these water tubes that go through the entire body so that you can keep cool, almost like an air conditioning cooling unit. It’s something you don’t want to wear all the time and you definitely have to be fit,” he said, adding that the suit is “cumbersome.”

Doing a space movie is a "bucket list thing"

Anna Kendrick, who plays astronaut Zoe onboard the spaceship, said that being an astronaut was the “most uncomfortable job” that she’s done on-screen, all thanks to that spacesuit.

“The spacesuit really makes you feel like you’re a toddler strapped in a stroller who needs help to do the smallest thing. The simplest task like having a sip of water takes like four people to help you do this one thing,” she explained.

Although the suit made her uncomfortable, she did admit that she was very happy to become an astronaut. 

“Doing a space movie is one of those bucket list things, but there was part of me that was like I did not realize how physically uncomfortable this was going to be,” Kendrick added.

If Kendrick had to go to space every day for work, she said that she would be a “terrible, terrible” astronaut and it all goes back to that spacesuit.

“Wearing that spacesuit for this movie, I was exhausted. It’s so heavy and cumbersome. I would be a bad astronaut just because physically, I’m just really not up to par just where astronauts need to be. I also was, like, very grouchy and I think astronauts need to have a better attitude,” she said.

Kendrick spoke about her time working with Anderson. “He’s so professional and so committed. This is something he’s obviously incredibly skilled at and born to do. It was so much fun working with him. He’s playing such a serious character and the stakes of the movie are so intense. He was just so funny off-set. He was just a joy to work with and I’m just so excited for him to absolutely take off."

Stowaway also stars Daniel Dae Kim and Toni Collette, who Kendrick says everyone was in “awe” of.

“She’s one of the greatest actresses of this generation. She’s just incredible. There was a scene that we were shooting early where it’s me and Daniel and Toni and it’s like this very intense scene and I turned to Daniel after the first take and I was like, ‘Were you acting at all because I honestly was just watching Toni Collette.’ I was just like, ‘Oh my god, Toni Collette is acting right in front of me. I forgot to do my job at all,’” Kendrick shared, adding that Daniel was doing the same thing.

“Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim. Shall I say anymore?” Anderson said of his castmates. “It was definitely a masterclass for me being a little newer in that space. But it was incredible to work with my peers.”

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