Andy Weir praises Ryan Gosling at 'Project Hail Mary' panel

Andy Weir discusses Ryan Gosling and his role in 'Project Hail Mary' adaptation at BookCon panel

Andy Weir spoke about Ryan Gosling and the Project Hail Mary adaptation during a panel at BookCon in New York, where he addressed both the actor’s presence and his involvement in the production.

When asked whether Gosling appears the same in person as on screen, Weir responded, “Like I would say more. I’m straight, but we all have our limits.” The remark drew attention during the discussion, which focused on the transition of the novel into a film.

Weir also outlined the extent of his participation in the project, noting that he remained involved across multiple stages of production.

He said, “I was there for the whole shoot. I was giving notes and feedback on the screenplay before that, and then after that, I gave notes in the edits. I was a very active participant, and so that feels good because I feel like I was one of the team that made this movie, which I think came out really well.”

He further described how performances contributed to shaping the final film, explaining that improvisation played a role during filming.

“They would go off script all the time. Ryan would go off script all the time, James Ortiz, who was the voice of Rocky… they riff off each other and stuff. I would say that maybe half of the movie is basically ad-libbed variations of what the script was telling them to say.”

Weir added, “It was seeing the production that made me realise how much of the creative energy in the project comes just from the performance. The actors, they don’t just read the lines and perform the correct emotion, they’re actually part of the creation of the story.”