The midnight sky sees Jones play astronaut Sully, who on a trip back to Earth discovers that humanity has been wiped out. His only contact on the planet is Augustine (Clooney), a dying scientist with a warning for Sully’s ship: Don’t go home. The film is full of breathtaking landscapes and great science fiction concepts, but it is a discreet final conversation between Sully and Augustine that proves to be the most exciting moment in the film.
“George had already done his part, so I was able to watch it, which was very helpful in reporting what I was doing on my side,” said Jones The Hollywood Reporter. “It was what I loved about the script when I read it. It was what made me want to do that, it was that central relationship, that need for the two to meet.”
The scene confirms that Augustine is actually Sully’s father, and Jones has prepared himself as much as possible for the moment, with Clooney reading off camera with her that day.
“It was something I thought about a lot, meditated a lot, prepared myself,” says Jones of the scene. “Fortunately, I was shooting at the end of our schedule, so I really felt like I had Sully and I knew who she was and could give everything I have.”
The public commented on the timely nature of Midnight sky, occurring during the months when people yearn for connection in the midst of a global pandemic. For Jones, the film gained an extra resonance, as it is also a time capsule of her pregnancy in real life.
Clooney included Jones’ pregnancy in the film, written by Mark L. Smith, after she informed the director before filming that she would become a mother.
“It seems like Sully was always supposed to be pregnant,” says Jones, noting that her character had a daughter on Earth in the Lily Brooks-Dalton novel.
Although the final scene added an impact with Augustine saving not only his daughter, but also his grandson, the conversation did not change from the original script.
“It was there from the beginning that it would be a meditation not only on Augustine’s relationship with Sully, but also on Sully’s relationship with his son,” says Jones. “That is why blood is such an outstanding feature of the film. You see blood flowing through the tubes at the beginning, when Augustine is undergoing chemotherapy. It is a kind of understanding of these relationships, of what in the end has meaning for us. “
Although Jones left the Star Wars galaxy behind her a rogue co-star Diego Luna is currently filming the prequel series Andor for Disney +. Jones still thinks fondly of a week of shooting in the Maldives to capture the sacrifice between his Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor de Luna, who die so that the Death Star’s plans reach the hands of the rebels.
“We shot every night for a week to get the right sunset light, to get the perfect pink light, so we knew that scene from the inside out at the end of the week,” says Jones. “It was amazing to see how it transformed, changed and changed. We shot this film in a very visceral, naturalistic and courageous way, and I think that’s why so many people reacted to it. I think they loved it that it felt so real and had elements 70s Star Wars films that had that similar feeling of naturalism and reality. “
Jones will be seen next on Netflix’s Your lover’s last letter, an adaptation of the JoJo Moyes novel. It centers on Ellie (Jones), a London-based journalist who discovers 1960s love letters that tell the story of unhappy lovers played by Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner. Jones, who also produced the film directed by Augustine Frizzell, longed to do something with a touch of comedy and also sought to collaborate with Moyes.
“There was a real warmth to the story,” says Jones. It is a very good film. It’s funny, it’s moving. I think people will enjoy watching it with some chocolates and a big glass of wine. “
Jones is aware that in difficult times, cinema can provide an escape, as an audience member, but also as an actor. Reflecting on The midnight sky, a memory that stands out is to imagine the landscape of the K-23.
Jones says: “I had a strong visual sensation of George showing me the images. … I think I was thinking about a beach in Italy. I just tried to think of a place that had great peace and happiness.”