One of the things I'm really enjoying about rewatches of Project Hail Mary is the little details I notice each time. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's book-to-screen adaptation of Andy Weir's sci-fi novel gets better with every watch, as far as I'm concerned. That probably explains why I had no problem seeing it multiple times in the theater, or why I didn't hesitate to purchase a copy on VOD now that it's among the new movies available to watch online.
One scene I had to revisit right away happens so fast in the movie that I was never entirely certain if I was seeing the cameo I thought I was, but now that I can pause, I was able to verify it! The reporter we see near the beginning of the movie is James Ortiz, the puppeteer and voice behind a certain adorable alien character.
Vague Project Hail Mary spoilers ahead.
Near the beginning of Project Hail Mary, as Ryan Gosling's character has only recently awoken and is experiencing quick flashbacks of his time on Earth, we see a live news report being viewed on a cell phone. It shows a NASA reporter talking to another person -- Dr. Browne, as she's credited -- about the ArcLight program, the mission to figure out what the Petrova line is, and would ultimately reveal the sun-eating astrophage.
I didn't notice until my second screening of the movie, but I was fairly certain that the male reporter looked and sounded a lot like James Ortiz. Given the number of interviews and social media reels I'd watched featuring the puppeteer talking about voicing and puppeteering Rocky, I was pretty sure it was him. But it's such a quick scene, and it's not a clear shot of his face (we're viewing it in a flashback of a cellphone video, after all) so it was hard to be sure.
Ortiz isn't named as the reporter during the end credits (Mia Soteriou is credited as Dr. Browne, but the unnamed NASA reporter isn't mentioned there), however Amazon is pretty reliable with the receipts, thanks to their X-ray feature, which shows who's seen or heard at any given point during a movie on the platform. And sure enough, if you go to that NASA report scene in the movie now, James Ortiz is credited as the reporter.
Being the voice and main puppeteer behind the lovable, faceless (at least in the traditional sense) Rocky, Ortiz is undoubtedly one of the stars of the movie. So it's great to get to see his face on screen, albeit as a different character.
Of course, James Ortiz isn't the only cameo in the movie. Those who listened to the Project Hail Mary audiobook may have recognized narrator Ray Porter among the voices Ryland and Rocky listened to when seeking a voice to translate Rocky's speech. Meryl Streep is also credited among the rejected Rocky voices. She really can do anything.
The attention to detail in Project Hail Mary is truly one of the most rewarding things about rewatching the film -- from the great jokes, to learning things like the meaning behind Stratt's tattoo or the story behind the "Rocky hate Mark" line, it's all added layers to my enjoyment while rewatching. I don't normally splurge on the higher-priced VOD purchase options, preferring to wait for streaming. I'm assuming Project Hail Mary will be available to Prime Video subscribers at some point in the future, but I couldn't wait, so I opted to purchase the digital version today. You can find it available to rent or buy on Amazon and other digital movie platforms.
