Sandra Bullock might be one of those actors in Hollywood that boast a thoroughly diverse filmography. Her range only serves as a testament to her acting chops and is very well demonstrated by the two films that remain her top earners.
Of the two highest-grossing films of the actress, the number one spot is claimed by Minions. Number two, however, goes to her thrilling space drama Gravity, a film that was a critical and commercial hit. The film fulfilled a lifelong dream of the actress, but this does not mean that the actress was confident about the film.
Sandra Bullock’s lifelong dream was realized with Gravity
While the film ended up being one of the most important films of Bullock’s filmography, the film’s collection was not what Bullock had dreamed of. She had always wanted to play a female character who was able to do what male characters have been doing for quite some time: be relevant to the story such that it wouldn’t exist without them. Airing this achievement to Collider, the actress said:
“I was always longing to do, emotionally and physically, what my male counterparts always got to do. I just felt envious, every time I saw a movie that I was in awe of, and it was usually a male lead. And those kinds of roles weren’t available.”
Bullock was referring to the fact that she wanted her character to be a relevant part of the story, which she later explained:
“But in the last couple of years, things have shifted. And then, there’s the fact that Jonas and Alfonso wrote this specifically as a woman. It wasn’t an afterthought. I think it was the integral part of the story. I don’t want to say that’s revolutionary, but it’s revolutionary.”
Bullock was fascinated with the character of Dr. Ryan Stone, and given that she was sharing the screen with a veteran leading man like Geroge Clooney helped her cement the importance of the character within and outside the narrative.
Sandra Bullock did not think the film would work
Bullock was allegedly not very optimistic about the film at the box office. After all, it was an existential film about a woman stuck in space, with little other to drive the plot than scientific jargon. The director of the film, Alfonso Cuaron, shared that sentiment, considering the film to have no impact at all. The director, speaking to The Guardian, said:
“Every day, we thought: ‘This is not going to work, It was a process of trial and error and little, little hints of hope, and also a lot of mistakes. The only test screening that we had, months before the film was finished, was a disaster.”
Bullock echoed those sentiments, voicing how dicey she thought the film would be. She said:
“We had no idea if it would be successful. You’d explain that it was an avant-garde, existential film on loss and survival in space and everyone would be like: ‘OK …’ It didn’t sound like a film people would be drawn to.”
However, the film was a major success for the actor and the director, remaining a highlight of both their careers, even to this day.
