How Ryan Goslings Project Hail Mary made a rock spider lovable

On paper, the character of Rocky in Andy Weir’s film Hail Mary Project It looks like a nightmare: a five-legged, dog-sized rock spider with no face. Yet in the 2026 film adaptation, he became one of the most beloved characters in modern science fiction. In this slice of How it hitswriter Belen Edwards explores how filmmakers used a combination of facial psychology, shared scientific literacy, and old-fashioned practical puppetry to create a true “movie magic” connection between Ryan Gosling and his extraterrestrial co-star.

Hail Mary Project is now in theaters.