Project Hail Mary's Most Popular Test Screening Scene Wasn't Originally In The Movie

This article contains minor spoilers for "Project Hail Mary."

There's an old saying that every completed movie is a miracle. It's an even larger miracle that good movies ever get made, particularly expensive ones, given all of the bureaucracy and people who have skin in the game that want it a certain way. "Project Hail Mary," which /Film hailed as one of the best sci-fi movies ever, is definitely in the latter category. It's a very expensive, non-franchise movie that has earned near-universal praise at a time when it's harder than ever to predict success. The key to that success? Being flexible.

During a recent interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, star Ryan Gosling explained that he and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller ("The LEGO Movie," "21 Jump Street") were happy to divert from the plan when the occasion called for it, despite the fact that "Project Hail Mary" carries a $200 million production budget. In particular, a key scene in which Oscar-nominee Sandra Huller's character, Stratt, sings karaoke wasn't originally in the movie, but the filmmaking team found a way to make it happen anyway. Here's what Gosling had to say about it:

"It's Sandra singing in the film, which turns out to be one of the best scenes in the film. Every time we screened it, people were like, that's their favorite scene. Not supposed to be there. But you have to have the right people that are willing to do it. Sandra is down to sing. Out of nowhere she picks 'Sign of the Times.' The directors create space for it. We spend a whole day shooting that when we weren't supposed to. Those things, they're gifts, they're around, you just have to be working with people that recognize them as that."

"Filmmaking can be so regimented where you think, 'Well, that's not part of the plan.' We romanticize the idea of sticking to the vision," Gosling added.

Without diving too heavily into spoilers, there are many scenes in this movie that will be discussed for a long time, many of them in space and involving more flashy stuff going on. However, the karaoke scene with Stratt is a really emotional, human moment that pays off even more by the time that shocking twist in "Project Hail Mary" is revealed. It's genuinely difficult to picture the movie without it.

The scene also does a lot to further Sandra Huller's character, who is very important but doesn't get the most screen time. (There's actually a secret subplot involving Stratt that you probably didn't notice, one that adds even more to her character.) This moment of her bonding with the crew and humanizing herself for Ryan Gosling's Ryland Grace goes a long way in making the movie as good as it ends up being.

As Gosling explained, test audiences absolutely loved that scene, proving the filmmakers right for their willingness to experiment, despite the financial pressures they were certainly feeling. Fortunately, it looks like it's all going to work out. "Project Hail Mary" is set to be a rare non-franchise blockbuster at the box office, looking like a huge win for all involved. This scene is just one shining example, but it speaks volumes about the approach of the filmmakers involved and how they handle storytelling. The results speak for themselves: Being too regimented can be detrimental to the final product.

"Project Hail Mary" is in theaters now.