“The thing that killed the conversation…”: Sandra Bullock Was the Major Reason Behind Alfonso Cuaron Dropping His Dream for Gravity
Sandra Bullock is widely considered to be one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. She has been in the industry for more than three decades and has starred in comedies, dramas, thrillers, and whatnot. A role that stood her out was one for which she was awarded an Oscar as well. Her portrayal of footballer Michael Oher’s guardian Leigh Anne Tuohy in the 2009 biographical drama The Blind Side.
Moreover, another movie that got her widespread appreciation of Gravity which was released in 2013. The movie secured multiple Academy Awards and also set a benchmark for space drama movies. Interestingly, the director of the movie Alfonso Cuaron had to drop his dream with the project.
Why did Alfonso Cuaron drop his dream of filming Gravity in Space because of Sandra Bullock?
During an interview with Empire Magazine, Alfonso Cuaron said he initially hoped to film Gravity in space. It is worth noting that this has been pulled off by only a very small handful of films to date.
However, while money was a big factor in the issue, it was actually the movie’s lead actor Sandra Bullock who forced the director to drop his dream. Cuaron revealed that Bullock was not open to getting into a rocket and said:
“The thing that killed the whole conversation, was Sandra. Because Sandra had already suffered two airplane accidents. Not one, but two. For her, flying is a big sacrifice. And for her the idea of getting into a rocket or something like that, it was a no-no, you know?”
Despite not being actually filmed in space, the movie was able to set a benchmark of how space dramas should be made in the industry. That said, it’s safe to say that not filming in space did not effect the movie at all.
Sandra Bullock was initially skeptical about the success of Gravity
While Gravity ultimately proved to be a huge success and earned $723 million at the global box office, Sandra Bullock was skeptical about the movie’s potential chance of being successful.
During an interview with The Guardian, Bullock spoke about how she felt that the movie did not seem like one that would attract a lot of people. She said:
“We had no idea if it would be successful. You’d explain that it was an avant-garde, existential film on loss and survival in space and everyone would be like: ‘Ok…’ It didn’t sound like a film people would be drawn to.”
Regardless of her initial doubts, the movie went on to perform very well as mentioned earlier. The role certainly gave Sandra Bullock a breakthrough in the industry as well.
