INTERVIEW: Jess Varley Explores The Unknown In Her Directorial Debut, ‘The Astronaut’
- Demet Koc
- 1d
- 5 min read
The Astronaut marks Jess Varley’s debut as both writer and director. The haunting psychological sci-fi drama is centered on astronaut Sam Walker (Kate Mara), who crash-lands back on Earth after a mysterious mission in space. As she undergoes quarantine and evaluation, Sam begins to experience strange, disorienting events and starts to suspect that something - or someone - is stalking her.
The film also stars Gabriel Luna and Laurence Fishburne, who also serves as an executive producer.
I spoke with Jess Varley about her journey from actor to filmmaker, how The Astronaut came to life, and the creative choices behind its striking sound design, emotional ending, and surprising sense of humanity within the unknown.
You began your career in front of the camera and now you’re behind it, directing The Astronaut. Was stepping into the director’s chair always part of the plan, or did that passion develop along the way?
Jess Varley: It’s funny because growing up, I don’t think I even considered it as an option. There were so many male directors that I just didn’t really think about it. Once I gave it a shot and did my first short film, which was a genre short, my brain exploded. I was obsessed. I have to do this forever! I thought it was the coolest thing, and I was so grateful that the time I spent in front of the camera and all the years working on movie crews really helped prepare me for making the film. I love writing but really, directing is what I love most. I write to be able to direct. There’s a fluidity to that, which is really nice because I can keep updating the script as we go. As soon as I tried directing, nothing else mattered. I knew I had to pursue it no matter what. It was something I instantly fell in love with.
The Astronaut is a big project. How did it come together from the initial idea to assembling this incredible cast?
Jess Varley: I ended up talking with Brad Fuller, our lead producer, over dinner one night, and he instantly took to the idea. We spent the whole dinner brainstorming and coming up with ideas. His whole family was there, saying things like, “What if this happens?” or “What if that happens?” It was so nice because it really brought the idea to life.
It had been a seed for a long time, but he kicked it off and ignited the fire of what it became. He helped shepherd the project the entire time, and I’m so grateful for that because he’s produced incredible movies like A Quiet Place and The Purge franchises.
He’s amazing. The fact that we were able to work with such incredible talent on the film is a testament to Brad’s involvement and to the actors who were willing to take a chance on a younger filmmaker like me. All those years working both in front of and behind the camera really helped prepare me to work with talent of that caliber. I learned so much from everyone, and they were all so wonderful.
I’m so happy you got to make this. The visuals are amazing, but the sound design is especially incredible. It really heightens the tension and draws you in. How involved were you in shaping that aspect?
Jess Varley: Oh, I love that question. I was very involved, and Mike Holcomb, our amazing sound designer, did such an incredible job. He brought so much texture to the film. There’s a lot of sophistication in the sound design. There’s a trope in horror where they pull out the sound right before a scare, which is what you’d normally do. But when that happens, I always know the scare is coming. So I thought, “What’s genuinely going to be scary here? What’s grounded? What’s the most realistic version of this sound we can come up with?” We played with the levels for the scares, and he did such an exquisite job with amazing attention to detail. I’m very particular too, so he was such a sweetheart to go through that level of detail with me to get it exactly right.
We also have to talk about that ending. I was watching it last night and could feel the film winding down in that final scene, but I still didn’t want it to end. Was it always planned to end there?
Jess Varley: It was. I’d say there were probably about ten minutes we decided to cut to keep it lean and moving, but the heart and soul always remained the same. I really loved the idea that the genre isn’t what you think it is — that the unknown doesn’t have to be scary. There’s beauty in messy transformation. Hopefully it feels relatable despite the science-fiction elements. To me, the story is about transformation, becoming your most authentic self, and how isolating that can feel, sometimes at the expense of relationships. It was fun to explore that very human experience through the lens of [the sci-fi] genre.
Yes, it was lovely. The final scene is so emotional.
We also have these aliens: were they done with motion capture or CGI? They were so cute! I wasn’t expecting that either. I was waiting to be scared by something horrifying, and then they look at you with those beautiful eyes.
Jess Varley: We ended up doing them with CGI. It was really a blank frame. Kate was acting opposite a tennis ball or nothing at all. Our team did a great job. We were a small independent film, so we pushed the limits of what was possible with our budget. It was important to me that once you discover the twist and see what the aliens really are, if you rewatch the film, you’d see everything through a different lens, realizing they’re trying to warn her, reach her, bring her home.
I thought it was important to show them fully because in most genre films you only see them briefly or in silhouette. It’s always a risk to show them completely, but there was something sweet and vulnerable about it. We tried to have them communicate nonverbally and through warmth and expression. Even though they’re aliens, hopefully people can feel that connection and understand their intentions are good.
Yes, it’s just lovely. It was such a beautiful experience. One last question: Now that you’ve brought The Astronaut to life, what stories do you hope to tell next?
Jess Varley: Oh, I love that. My next movie, which I’m hoping to shoot soon, is a Christmas genre movie. Although that one might be a little more hard-R, a bit cheekier and funnier. I love the idea of using genre to have fun with scares and crazy worlds but still keeping a lot of heart in it. I’ve always loved that balance. I’m hoping to use the Christmas genre to turn expectations on their head. We all have an idea of what a holiday movie is, but I think it’s a fun opportunity to make something people will want to rewatch every year. It’ll still have that sentiment of family and the struggle to be a good parent, but with a backdrop that’s a little more insane than The Astronaut. Hopefully, it’ll bring some laughter too.
Can’t wait to see what you do next. I’ll be following!
The Astronaut is now available on digital platforms.
Comments