Space Cadet’s Tom Hopper Talks Embracing His Silly Side for New Comedy

Having starred in projects like Black Sails, Game of Thrones, and The Umbrella Academy, actor Tom Hopper hasn’t been afraid to take on physically imposing roles, but for the Prime Video movie Space Cadet, he needed to embrace an entirely different set of acting muscles to reflect the more lighthearted tone of the comedy. Even if the overall tone of the project was far less intense than some of the other endeavors Hopper has been a part of, he expressed how his preparation had a lot in common with those more physically demanding opportunities. Space Cadet lands on Prime Video on July 4th.

“Well, my rule of thumb is it is always got to be real within the realms of the world and that character’s world. So when you establish what the world is, if it’s a slightly heightened goofier world, then you play within those walls,” Hopper explained to ComicBook. “And Umbrella Academy has a very similar thing. It’s heightened so we have more leeway. Sometimes these characters will never fit in in the world that we know today, but there’s obviously a place and a time for that. And so yeah, I do tend to approach it exactly the same because it’s always got to be real for them in that moment within the world, so the process doesn’t change. The process of making that character real for the audience within the world is the same.”

Prime Video describes Space Cadet, “Tiffany ‘Rex’ Simpson (Emma Roberts) has always dreamed of going to space, but life isn’t going quite as planned. Determined to turn things around, she aims high and with the embellishing touch of her supportive best friend Nadine (Poppy Liu), her ‘doctored’ application lands her in NASA’s ultra-competitive astronaut training program. In over her head, Rex relies on her quick wits, moxie, and determination to get to the top of her class. NASA program directors Pam (Gabrielle Union) and Logan (Tom Hopper) certainly take notice, but can this Florida girl get through training and into the cosmos before she blows her cover? Written and directed by Liz W. Garcia (Purple Hearts, The Sinner), Space Cadet is a comedy about the power of being yourself, following your dreams, and shooting for the stars.”  

As far as careers are concerned, Hopper joked that, much like how Rex feels like she exaggerated her abilities to score a coveted job, the actor also might embellish facts to score a role.

In response to being asked about a job he’d be willing to lie to get, Hopper confessed, “Yeah, it’s called acting. I’ve said in the past that I could horse ride when I could not horse ride. I said I could sword fight when I couldn’t sword fight. And when I got the jobs, I literally was like, ‘Oh, my God, I need horse riding lessons.’ And then very quickly went and got horse riding lessons and now I can ride a horse, which is good.”

Space Cadet hits Prime Video on July 4th.

Will you be checking out the movie? Contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!