Opening in theaters on June 5th is the new sci-fi drama ‘O Horizon’, which was directed by Madeleine Sackler (‘O.G.’).

The film stars Maria Bakalova (‘The Apprentice’), David Strathairn (‘Good Night, and Good Luck’), Adam Pally (‘Sonic the Hedgehog’), Maggie Grace (‘Taken’), Paulina Porizkova (‘Her Alibi’), and musician Amiee Mann.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Bakalova and David Strathairn about their work on ‘O Horizon’, their first reactions to the screenplay, their characters, working together on set, and what it was like for Bakalova to also share scenes with a monkey and musician Aimee Mann.

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Moviefone: To begin with, Maria, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and your approach to playing a character who is dealing with grief?

Maria Bakalova: I got the script on the day of a premiere that I had in New York City for ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’, and between Q&As for the movie and the premiere, I ran to go meet Madeline. I read the script and I fell in love with the script, cried a lot, destroyed my makeup, went to do the carpet, and went back to Madeline, and we had a beautiful, heartfelt conversation about human relationships, loss, grief and overcoming these feelings and how sometimes it’s okay to be sad for a minute. So, I was deeply moved and felt like it’s a sign that I should face my fear of loss that I locked somewhere in a box in my memory and open my heart completely. The next day I went to do costume tests, and we dived into it right after. I went to New York for a premiere, and I stayed there for two months.

MF: David, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and your approach to playing both Walter and his AI counterpart?

David Strathairn: I think the AI version is what it is in the film, it’s the AI version. It’s the technical version that always just fell prey to the creation of how the device created me. But I too was so enamored with the script because I felt, and still do, talking about it more now, it offers people, especially a father or a mother or a parent, it offers a notion and the possibility of continued communication with your child, which is truly a gift. I mean, yes, we have visitations mentally, dreamlike, whatever, they may be real. I think I do kind of believe in that. But what this film is asking us to think about is what if that became possible in a very technical way. I thought, “Wow, this is great. This is an idea. This is something to think about as the perpetuation of being a parent and having a relationship with your loved one.” So, I was just being him in that regard.

MF: David, you are off screen in many of your scenes with Maria. Were you on set for those scenes, feeding lines to Maria, or did you prerecord your dialogue so that it could be played back on set when you were not there?

DS: Yeah, I was there. They were recording the lines, but no, I Was there, and present. In stories like this, you got to be there. I was being there quite selfishly because what I was getting from “my daughter,” but what Maria was bringing to me, that’s what I think grounded this film in a very real, very palpable human experience. That’s what we thirst for when we’re working together with people who have just some kind of innate depth that can deal with some heavy stuff, be frank and open and honest. It was a joy for me, it really was.

MF: Maria, what does it mean to you to have had this experience working with David?

MB: This is the moment that I want to say that artists like David, with such an incredible body of work, to still show up when you’re not necessarily called to do so, it’s a mentorship level of talent that I want to take till the day I die because it definitely meant so much to me and to be able to be completely present and open up to him because he’s such an extraordinary actor. But he’s also such a beautiful human being. He has one of the purest souls that I’ve ever met. So, thank you for being there. It’s such a sensitive topic, such a slippery line that can be emotionally exhausting and devastating, but at the same time, you come back home, and you are hungry for more for the day after to come sooner because it’s interesting. It’s something that I haven’t experienced before.

MF: Maria, in addition to working with David, you also have scenes with a monkey and popular musician Aimee Mann. What was it like working with them?

MB: I think the first time I heard of Aimee Mann was ‘Magnolia’, and I fell in love with that movie. It’s such a special film as well. So having her as our North Star I think was something extraordinary. She is a legend, and her journey in life is also something that I think gives a lot to the film. Her music is rooted with a lot of her experiences, and you can feel it. I think music is a universal language if it’s coming from the heart, and I think her lyrics, her sounds, her melody really comes from the heart. Sometimes it feels like it’s a cry for help. Sometimes it feels like it’s a cry for relief. Sometimes it feels like a loud laugh, even if it’s a little bit slower, depending on the feeling of the song that she is putting into it. We had the chance to have her perform in front of us. I felt like within the song I relived the whole movie from the beginning to the end, and though the beginning felt the catharsis, and I felt the relief at the end. Something unusual was happening again. This movie I think was quite magical in its making, in its story, and at the same time something very human, and very simple. It’s not too much about the technology. It’s not too much about AI. It’s not too much about even the animals. The animals were incredible. They had their trainers, they had their people making sure that they’re absolutely taken care of, having their breaks, having their meals, and I think they’re the cutest thing that ever happening to me. I absolutely loved every single minute of the making of this film, and I hope people feel that because I’m a real believer in whatever you put in the process, that’s what the audience will feel. It was a special project for me.

MF: Finally, David, what do you hope audiences take away from seeing this film?

DS: I hope people, when they see this film, they will get that feeling that there’s no extraneous bells and whistles to this. It was very direct, and in many ways, as actors, we’re dealing with something which is new. How can you possibly have any experience in this realm? But also, one of the beauties of situations like this is you don’t necessarily know right away what you’re going to feel and how you’re going to navigate this territory. There were no conclusive moments that I think that we had. It was all hand in hand into this unknown territory. I think that’s one of the special things about this film, that it makes no judgments, it doesn’t try to direct you in a certain way to think about it. It’s just to feel what these people are trying to learn about this technology and what it’s offering them.

What is the plot of ‘O Horizon’?

Abby (Maria Bakalova), a brilliant, young neuroscientist who has recently lost her father Warren (David Strathairn), drowns her grief by spending her days working with a monkey named Dorey. Abby meets a programmer, Sam (Adam Pally), who has created a technology that reconnects Abby with her beloved father. Her relationship with her digitized dad then forces her to re-examine everything from her romantic relationships to her life’s work.

Who is in the cast of ‘O Horizon’?

• Maria Bakalova as Abby
• David Strathairn as Warren
• Adam Pally as Sam
• Maggie Grace as Evan
• Nicholas Podany as Anton
• Paulina Porizkova as Zuzana
• Aimee Mann as Herself

List of Maria Bakalova Movies and TV Shows:

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