Pullman has two major mentors. First, of course, is his father. “I very quickly realized how foolish it was to be neglecting such an endless source of information. We’ve always been a tight-knit family, but this has brought us even closer.”
The second? Top Gun maestro Tom Cruise. “Our crew is still on a thread. Not Tom; we don’t need to bother him with all of our memes. He’s got more important stuff to do. But he’ll take a call at any point if we ever need help.”
Making that film was “such a behemoth of a process. But because so much of the filming was unprecedented, it sometimes felt like we were working on a $3,000 short film. It was encouraging to see that even on a massive-scale movie like that, there was still a fire in the belly of the creative heart of the thing.”
Spending hours in the air meant creative bathroom solutions. “We had two boots of gelatin powder strapped to our calves. It would solidify because if there was a leak, it would be a disaster. Let’s put it this way: I used both bags quite a bit.”
On his souped-up role in Lessons in Chemistry, Pullman remains humble. “That was a pleasant surprise.” His costar Brie Larson “took the time and care to make sure I was bringing to life the version of Calvin I connected to most. Every day, it was a battle of convincing myself it was totally normal and not a big deal.”
SAG-AFTRA members are currently on strike; as part of the strike, union actors are not promoting their film and TV projects. The interviews and photoshoot for this piece were conducted prior to the strike.
GROOMING, ERICKA VERRETT; TAILOR, IRINA TSHARTARYAN; SET DESIGN, ROMAIN GOUDINOUX. PRODUCED ON LOCATION BY THE PRODUCTION FACTORY. SHOES: COURTESY OF OGDEN AND MARY LOUISE REID CINEMA ARCHIVES, WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY/ACADEMY MUSEUM FOUNDATION. HAIRSPRAY: EVERETT COLLECTION. FOR DETAILS, GO TO VF.COM/CREDITS.
