His Daughters Are His Toughest Critics - Ryan Gosling's The Astronaut Puts His Daughters' Opinions Above Critics'
Ryan Gosling's latest film, The Astronaut: Project Hail Mary, was made with a very personal audience in mind—his two daughters. The actor has shared that Esmeralda, 11, and Amada, 9, have already watched the movie and offered their honest thoughts. For Gosling, their opinions matter far more than any professional review.
The family-friendly space adventure follows a teacher who wakes up on a mysterious spaceship with no memory of his past. Along the way, he meets Rocky, a CGI alien companion who quickly becomes central to the story.
Gosling's character in The Astronaut finds himself stranded in space, struggling to piece together how he ended up there. His only ally is Rocky, a peculiar alien brought to life through a mix of CGI and puppetry. The character closely matches the book's description: a dog-sized, 400-pound creature with five legs, no eyes, and mercury for blood. Operated by a team of six puppeteers, Rocky speaks in chords and thrives in an ammonia atmosphere, yet remains blind to radiation.
The film stays true to the novel's portrayal of Rocky as a brilliant engineer with perfect memory and lightning-fast problem-solving skills. Despite their differences, the unlikely pair form a strong bond, mirroring the book's themes of teamwork and overcoming challenges together. Gosling has expressed excitement for audiences to meet Rocky, calling the character a standout part of the film.
Off-screen, Gosling's partner, Eva Mendes, playfully admitted to feeling jealous of Rocky in an Instagram comment. The actor understands her reaction, noting that fans of the original book have strong opinions about how the alien should be portrayed. For Gosling, though, the most important critics remain his daughters, whose reactions shaped his approach to the project.
The film's release will introduce viewers to Rocky, a character already winning over Gosling's family. With its mix of adventure, humour, and heart, The Astronaut aims to entertain both young audiences and longtime fans of the book. Gosling's focus on making a movie his daughters would love reflects the film's core message—connection, whether between a man and an alien or a father and his children.
