In “Moonfall,” a mysterious force has knocked the moon from its orbit and onto a collision course with Earth. It’s another apocalyptic film in the career of director Roland Emmerich, who is known for “Independence Day,” “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012.”

With his new film, Emmerich made some adjustments this time around.

“We started casting, we said, like to ourselves, 'Why is this a man?' And I kind of said, 'No, let's cast a woman here,'” Emmerich recalled. Academy Award winner Halle Berry was happy to take the helm.


What You Need To Know

  • Halle Berry talks about working with the real stuff in “Moonfall,” as the cast shoots inside an actual space shuttle

  • Patrick Wilson says "Moonfall" is a great escape

  • John Bradley plays a brainy and humorous conspiracy theorist whose dream comes true with a trip to space

“How cool is it to be the head of NASA as a woman of color? I said, 'Yeah, yeah, that sounds good,'” Berry said.
 
“Moonfall” is filled with special effects and CGI, but Berry loved working with the real stuff: the crew shot inside an actual space shuttle.

"It wasn't just something that was built, like this was a real shuttle that had gone into space,” Berry said. “And it really was fascinating to just sit there. I could not get enough of exploring it and looking at it and wondering what all the buttons meant."

"And, you know, all the levers and the little secret compartments," she added. "It was just a fascinating experience to sort of take it all in on a daily basis.”
 
Berry’s character, Jo Fowler, leads a team into space, including actor Patrick Wilson, who plays a former astronaut, and “Game of Thrones” star John Bradley. He plays a conspiracy theorist named K.C.

Bradley said he could relate to his character.

“It's a challenge, certainly, but I find myself engaging with it because in a funny kind of parallel way, the fact that I'm making a Roland Emmerich movie with Halle Berry in it, and Patrick Wilson in it, that seems just as unlikely as K.C. Houseman getting into space,” Bradley said.

Wilson said disaster films like “Moonfall” could be a welcome escape for all.

“We go to the theater to escape our, our normal life,” Wilson said.  “And these days, it's nice to go see a movie and go, 'Well, they have it worse than us.'"
 
The effects in “Moonfall” are big, but the pull of the movie for Berry came from the heart.

“I loved that, as a woman, that I had sort of the struggle of being a mother and as a mother, take on this responsibility of going into space and putting herself at risk," Berry said. "What’s that push and pull? And being a mom, I really related to making that decision, because I would not go to space and leave my children."
 
“Moonfall” is playing only in theaters now.