Bringing Rocky to Life: How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Puppeteer James Ortiz Created the Movie’s Lovable Alien
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When Ryan Gosling interacts on screen with his alien buddy, which he does for more than half of “Project Hail Mary,” he wasn’t staring at a green screen as cameras rolled. Instead, he was playing off of an elaborate puppet manned by James Ortiz, a New York theater staple best known for bringing cows, mammoths […]
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Mar 20, 2026 3:30pm PT Bringing Rocky to Life: How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Puppeteer James Ortiz Created the Movie’s Lovable Alien By Brent Lang Plus Icon Brent Lang Executive Editor BrentALang Latest Walt Disney Studios Promotes Erin Barrier to SVP of Communications 4 hours ago Lea Michele to Exit ‘Chess’ on Broadway in June 9 hours ago Jason Bateman Directing Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson in Netflix’s ‘The Cackling of the Dodos’ 2 days ago See All When Ryan Gosling interacts on screen with his alien buddy, which he does for more than half of “ Project Hail Mary ,” he wasn’t staring at a green screen as cameras rolled. Instead, he was playing off of an elaborate puppet manned by James Ortiz , a New York theater staple best known for bringing cows, mammoths and dinosaurs to life in Broadway shows like “The Skin of Their Teeth” and “Into the Woods.” In fact, Ortiz was on set for nearly all of the film’s six-month shoot in London, because directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted to use practical, instead of digital, effects as much as possible. Related Stories Pictanovo, Film France-CNC Bring U.S. Studio, Production Execs to Hauts-de-France on Series Mania Tour
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