There’s no better substitute than Rocky when it comes to media that helps one push through hard times, especially the score composed by Bill Conti. Even after five decades since rocking the world upon its release, the Sylvester Stallone-led Rocky‘s timeless music still remains iconic, which even helped Sandra Bullock prepare for her excruciating shoot in Gravity.
Often considered one of her best works to date, 2013’s Gravity pushed Sandra Bullock to her limits, and to combat the difficulties, her crew members turned to Conti’s iconic work to psych her up.
Rocky’s Music Helped Sandra Bullock Combat Gravity’s Challenge
After indulging in six months of physical training for the role of Dr. Ryan Stone, Sandra Bullock would engage in an excruciating shoot that pushed her to the extreme. Most of the filming, which Bullock deemed the most crazy and challenging shoot she had ever done, involved the actor shooting in a giant rig called the Light Box for almost 10 hours a day. She said (via Fox News),
“I pushed my body to the extreme. Strength-wise, I had to know I could do anything Alfonso [Cuarón] asked of me at any given point, so not a day went by that we didn’t train.”
In order to help her prepare for the intense shoot, prior to Bullock entering the cage, the crew members would put on Rocky‘s music when she came to sets, which helped her psych up. But before Bullock landed the part that would earn the Speed Star her second Oscar nod, Asteroid City Star Scarlett Johansson would engage in the audition process for the role of Ryan Stone.
Losing to Sandra Bullock Made Scarlett Johansson Reconsider Acting
Alongside Sandra Bullock, who was ultimately selected in Alfonso Cuarón’s acclaimed sci-fi, Marvel Star Scarlett Johansson also auditioned for the part, which didn’t end up going in her favor. Scarlett Johansson recalled feeling hopeless as she also had lost Iron Man 2 to Emily Blunt, and losing to Bullock pushed her to reconsider her career choices and almost give up acting. She told Variety:
“The first was ‘Iron Man 2’ and then the other one was Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Gravity. ‘I had wanted that role so much. It was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back. I felt really frustrated and hopeless. Like, ‘Am I doing the right job?'”
Fortunately, Johansson would eventually bounce back with Iron Man 2 after Emily Blunt dropped out of the role of Black Widow in the RDJ-led sequel.
Gravity is available to stream on Max.
