James Ortiz
Puppeteer and theater actor recruited to perform and voice Rocky in the film adaptation of Project Hail Mary, who discusses building and performing the five-legged puppet and collaborating with the filmmakers.
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Mar 25, 2026 • 39min
Puppeteering Project Hail Mary
James Ortiz, a theater puppeteer recruited to perform and voice Rocky, shares how he built and operated a complex five-legged puppet. He talks about choosing practical puppetry over CGI, adapting theater techniques for film, collaborating closely with Ryan Gosling, and assembling a multi-puppeteer team to create Rocky’s physical personality and improvisational chemistry.
