Bringing Rocky to Life: How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Puppeteer James Ortiz Created the Movie’s Lovable Alien

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 […]