Ariana DeBose finds her space, and then some

Ariana DeBose, who turns 33 on January 25, has already attained the kind of success some actors only dream of, winning an Oscar and a Golden Globe for West Side Story, and being nominated for a Tony (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical) and an Emmy (for hosting the 2022 Tony Awards ceremony). DeBose is striking while the iron remains hot. She provided the voice of Asha in the Disney animated feature Wish and stars in a quartet of upcoming films: I.S.S., House Of Spoils, Argylle, and Kraven The Hunter.

The first to reach theaters will be I.S.S., set for release on January 19. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the ambitious, low-budget sci-fi thriller casts DeBose as Dr. Kira Foster, a scientist who arrives aboard the International Space Station just before war breaks out across the world back on Earth. So dire is the situation that the space station’s occupants—three Americans (DeBose, Chris Messina, and John Gallagher) and three Russians (Pilou Asbaek, Maria Mashkova, and Costa Ronin)—receive orders from their respective superiors to assume control of the space station … by any means necessary. Cue the intrigue.

The A.V. Club recently caught up with DeBose via Zoom for a conversation during which she enthusiastically talked in detail about I.S.S., touched on her other projects, and contemplated how she could maintain her momentum.

The A.V. Club: The story and the characters feel very real, and the movie looks and plays at times like a documentary. What went into achieving that?

Ariana DeBose: This film came to me at a time when I was specifically looking to do something that had nothing to do with movie musicals. This definitely checked all those boxes. I saw Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s name on this. She brought us Blackfish, but also brought us Megan Leavey and Our Friend. To me, the range spoke for itself, but I also had a gut feeling that her background in documentaries would root this thing. She would bring an undeniable honesty to it, and demand that of us. You can see that in the production value. She did so much research. She and our entire team were like, “How close can we get this design to invoke the real I.S.S.? Let’s let the audience go on that authentic journey.” It’s dirty, cramped, and claustrophobic. It’s not necessarily clean, spacious, or futuristic. They put things on the walls with Velcro and duct tape at times. It’s not cutting-edge, you guys. That, to me, was exciting to be able to put myself in a situation as this character, to get to know her brain and her thoughts, and also see what that would bring up in how these characters relate to each other.

AVC: A couple of the characters are romantically involved. A couple of the characters have family at home, and your character, Kira, does not. What’s at stake for her? Is it her science, her life, or her country?

AD: Interestingly enough, she goes up there with the intent and focus of achieving her scientific goals, period. It’s her and her mice. She has this undying belief that if she can just find the answer she is looking for she will be able to better humanity. I did not find that Kira was someone who felt any sort of nationalist pull at that time. She doesn’t actually feel connected to her culture or home—or to people—so it was fun to embody a human who finds herself in this small space with these people who do share a respect for science. Ultimately, that is what allows her to connect with them. This is Dr. Foster, someone who has felt to me like she was devoid of human connection, and then she finds herself in a situation that demands it. That was inherently uncomfortable in the process of embodying her. I felt very uncomfortable at times, not just because I was wearing a harness, but because that’s what came through with the character.

AVC: You’ve done quite a bit of work on stage, TV, and in films in which you had to emote and sparkle a bit. Especially in musicals, you’re playing large. How fun and challenging was it to portray Kira, who’s on the quieter side to start, and once the conspiracy elements kick in, she communicates by whispering or with her eyes and hand gestures?

AD: Oh, I loved it. It was challenging in certain moments, but that’s what drew me to the character. When I was reading the script, I could see her. When I talk about characters, they jump out from the page and they land on my chest, and Dr. Foster did that for me. I knew that she was going to be quiet and that she was going to be highly observant. That meant she would manifest in these small ways. There would be days where, because of external stimuli—i.e. I was tired, or my body was tired from working in the harness and maintaining my focus, because those things did become challenging at times—but she was always present. The character was always very present with me. Stillness, and allowing this person that clearly has something to hide, something that she’s running away from, gave me some freedom to do things differently, and I enjoyed that.

AVC: You mentioned the harness, which you spent a good deal of time in to pull off the zero gravity scenes. Did that help you get into character, or you were like, “Get me off this damn thing!?”

AD: I accepted the challenge and the reality that I wasn’t going to complete the project without the harness, so I chose to become one with it. It was hard, and physically demanding. We had code words. One day it was kumquat or watermelon. I was like, “I’m going to vomit! I need a break.” It did enhance the performance in a way, because I chose to take the emotions that I was feeling as a result of the harness work and find ways to imbue them into the performance. I had to make them work with me, not against me.

AVC: You’ve almost got a whole festival worth of films coming up, between Argylle, Kraven, and House Of Spoils. What should people know about them?

AD: I’m thrilled for people to see them because each and every one is different. That was always my goal. I came into this side of the industry with movie musicals and I consciously chose to show people that I could do many different things, so none of them are the same. They all have a different tone. Every director has a different vision. It was a thrill and an honor to help them complete that vision, so I hope the audience enjoys them.

AVC: Winning an Oscar tends to open doors: better roles, larger platforms, and more people interested in your opinion. How tricky a tightrope is that to walk? In a perfect world, how do you build on and leverage it?

AD: I don’t know if I know the full answer to it yet. Winning the Oscar, winning any of the awards that I now am in possession of, definitely has brought me more opportunity. It’s requiring me to be more discerning and to ask myself the question, “Do I need to play this role? Am I passionate about this? Why am I saying yes?” I don’t necessarily believe in being oversaturated. Some people could say that about me right now. I’ve got many projects coming out, but I didn’t plan it that way; they just chose this particular lineup. I’m still figuring out how to leverage it. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m making the biggest amount of money in the industry. I’m not. I have more opportunities, but I’m working with directors that choose me and that I feel will make me better. But it’s not like Martin Scorsese has called me.

It’s not that once you win an Oscar, only the top tier is going to come to you or that you’re going to be working with Scarlett Johansson for the rest of your life. That’s not really how it works. I’m still finding my way. I’m finding my path, and you know what the reality is? I’m building it myself, because sometimes people don’t know what to do with you, so you have to show them. I’ll just keep doing that. I don’t have a problem with it. I actually enjoy it. It’s fun!