Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor pull off some movie-magic in the middle of a near industry-wide halt. They star in the film “Locked Down,” which was written, shot and released during the pandemic.

Doug Liman who directed “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and crew shot the film at the breakneck speed of just 18 days. Hathaway told NY1’s George Whipple what it was like to film during the pandemic.

“Parts of it were strange. Everyone was being very, very careful. We took the safety protocols very, very, very seriously. But I have to say, there was an even increased sense of joy, you know? We've known each other for a long time, I'm one of those, I love to work,” Hathaway said. “Every single day that we were there, we were just so conscious of the fact that we were the lucky ones. So, we really just wanted to soak up and enjoy every second that we could.”

Hathaway and Ejiofor play a London couple on the brink of a breakup. Their situation is made worse by living under the same roof during quarantine. But when their jobs conveniently crisscross, they join forces and hatch pans for a jewelry heist at the luxury department store, Harrods.

“I think this film is very hopeful, you know, and I think that what I really responded to is that it was people who were looking to reconnect with the joy in their life, you know, that they're challenged by these circumstances, deeply challenged as we all are, and they're taking that onboard as we all are and then trying to find a way through to reconnect with that thing that makes us all human,” Ejiofor said.

Both actors are taking life during the pandemic one day at a time.

“I have good days and bad ones like that. I've got some days where I feel pretty even-keeled and I don't know, stoic?" says Hathaway. "And then I have other days where I fall apart completely and it’s really hard."

“It’s one foot in front of the other. It's been just a completely crazy time and full of anxiety and confusion. In the midst of it all, you know, we were able to do something that we really love doing, which is to work and to go make a film that we were excited about,” Ejiofor said.

“Locked Down” is playing now on HBO Max.