The fantastic movie âThe Martianâ by cult Hollywood director Ridley Scott became the highest grossing film of his career and exceeded the original budget by almost six times. According to the author of the book, which formed the basis of the plot, Andy Weir, the heart of the picture is the history of man and nature, the intrigue of their confrontation. Actors of the movie "Martian" are few in number, and it can rightfully be considered Matt Damon's finest hour . Most of the screen time belongs to him.
A brief plot of the film
The events of the film take place in the near future. A group of scientists landed on one of the most mysterious planets of the solar system - Mars. Expedition Ares III hits a sandstorm. Astronauts are forced to prematurely leave the planet, but already on the way to the ship, the botanist Mark Watney carries away with a gust of wind. The remaining crew members after unsuccessful searches consider him dead and sent home. However, Watney remained alive, and now he is faced with the task of holding out a year before the arrival of the next expedition, fortunately, the residential module remained intact, but the reserves in it are designed for three months.
Casting cast
One of the main advantages of the Martian tape is the actors. 2015 is the time of its premiere, however, preparations for the filming began long before that. A full acting team was formed at the end of 2014. The contract with the leading actor was signed long before the filming process began, but the decisions on the remaining candidates were taken longer. So, initially, the Australian actress Cate Blanchett was considered the captain of the Hermes ship, but in connection with her employment in another project, she had to abandon this idea. Until the last moment, Michael Penyâs decision was unknown.
The film "Martian" the actors involved in it, called difficult. The task of playing people from the scientific community, incredible professionals was partly a challenge for them. The script and material of the book did not give indulgences, the work of the space industry with the smallest details is accurately and scrupulously reflected. According to the recognition of actress Kate Mara, her heroine is the brain of the whole operation and is much smarter than herself. In preparation for the shoot, she visited NASA's official website and studied information about female cosmonauts.
Sources claim that many actors agreed to participate in the project for a fee much lower than what they usually get for their work. The reason was in the stunning source material for the movie The Martian. Actors after his premiere received not only a fee, but also huge popularity, nominations for prestigious film awards and recognition.
However, Ridley Scott and the filmmakers were criticized, emphasizing that in the film the main roles are played by white actors, and African-Americans and Asians in the background. Although he wouldnât get used to it, similar claims already sounded after the screening of the film âExodus: Kings and Godsâ.
"Martian": the main actor - Matt Damon
Mark Watney performed by Matt Damon is the main character in the film. The lion's share of screen time, he is in complete solitude. A great opportunity to demonstrate your acting talent and impeccable game. It is like reading a monologue, accompanied by video support. According to director Ridley Scott, all the solo scenes with M. Damon were shot for five consecutive weeks, while the work went smoothly from the first take. The actor himself says that often everyone complains about the crazy crowds on the site, but staying on it in complete solitude is also quite difficult.
According to the storyline, Mark Watney, at the time of his salvation, is losing a lot of weight. And M. Damon was ready to make a small sacrifice and lose weight. However, the deadlines were running out, and he was replaced by an understudy in the final episodes of the picture. The actor was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actor and received a second Academy Award nomination.
Melissa Lewis - Jessica Chastain
In the movie "The Martian," the actors were selected gradually, with the exception of the main character. American Jessica Chastain was one of the first to come to the project. As already mentioned, initially Cate Blanchett was invited to the role of captain of the ship Melissa Lewis. Reasonable and cold-blooded, it was she who made the decision that the team was leaving the Red Planet, and she would return, contrary to common sense and prohibitions, when she learned that Watney had miraculously survived.
"Martian": actors and supporting roles
A stellar team in the literal and figurative sense of the astronauts was selected gradually. So, the American actor, invited to the role of the scientist Rick Martinez, known for the films âCollisionâ and âTwin Towersâ ââ- Michael Pena - dragged on with the decision until the last moment. The reason is that his schedule was closely overlapping with his work in Ant-Man, but nevertheless he joined the project.
A group of astronauts is represented by such actors as Kate Mara, Axel Henny, and the ground service is Sean Bean, Mackenzie Davis, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover. The last to join the team were Sebastian Stan and Chiwetel Ergiofor - astronaut Chris Beck and APEC Program Manager.
Rental and fees
At the box office the feature film "The Martian" (actors and roles - higher in the text) in the final version was presented in five formats. The most popular was 3D. At the box office, he was more than successful, contrary to the fears of the director himself and the ambiguous predictions from the outside.
Most of the critics greeted the film favorably, appreciating very highly the directorial and camera work, the play of the actors. And the official website of Roger Ebert even called the picture the best in the entire career of Ridley Scott.