Interstellar is a famous science fiction film directed by Christopher Nolan. The movie is set in the year 2067 on a dying Earth where a group of astronauts goes on a mission to find a new home for humanity in the universe. The film showcases many unique and beautiful places as filming locations. Christopher Nolan is known for using practical effects instead of relying heavily on special effects, so he chose the filming locations very carefully to make sure his vision was brought to life. The movie was filmed between August and December 2013 and was released almost a year later, on November 5, 2014.
The main cast of Interstellar includes Matthew McConaughey as Joseph Cooper, Anne Hathaway as Dr. Amelia Brand, Jessica Chastain as Murphy “Murph” Cooper, Michael Caine as Professor John Brand, and Matt Damon as Mann. The story follows Joseph Cooper, who leads a mission through a wormhole near Saturn to find a planet suitable for humans to live on.
Where was “Interstellar” Filmed?
The film’s principal photography was planned for four months, starting on August 6, 2013, in Alberta, Canada, where scenes were shot in towns like Nanton, Longview, and Okotoks. A cornfield was planted specifically for a dust storm scene, resembling the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Filming in Alberta lasted until September 9, 2013, with a crew of 130 and hundreds of extras.
Additional scenes were shot in Iceland, chosen to represent two alien planets—one icy and one covered in water. The crew spent two weeks filming with a team of 350 people. After Iceland, filming moved to Los Angeles for 54 days, including locations like the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Sony Pictures soundstage. Principal photography wrapped up in December 2013 with a $165 million budget.
Alberta, Canada
Earth scenes: Before the astronauts set out on their space journey, the movie first shows the difficult conditions on Earth. Most of the scenes that take place on Earth were filmed in Alberta, Canada, even though the story is set in Colorado, USA. The Earth in Interstellar is a bleak and barren place due to blight and famine. The movie begins with these scenes, and the cast and crew spent more than a month in Alberta shooting them.
One interesting fact is that Christopher Nolan had 500 acres of corn planted in Alberta just for the movie. Since Joseph Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, is a farmer, it was important to show him working on a farm. Later in the movie, the corn is destroyed during a dust storm, which was also created using practical effects.
Cooper’s Home and School Scenes: Longview, Alberta, was chosen as the location for sequences at Cooper’s home and his children’s school. Longview is a small community in southern Alberta, with a population of approximately 300 people. It is the ideal location to depict a struggling town in a fading planet because of its bucolic and farm-like vibe.
The production team chose a ranch house near Longview to play Joseph Cooper’s residence. They also used Longview School to film the scene in which Joseph attends a parent-teacher meeting. The football game interrupted by a dust storm in the film was filmed at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks, a little north of Longview.
Iceland
Ice and Water Planets scenes: Christopher Nolan wants to use genuine places instead than computer-generated effects. So, for the scenes on the ice and water planets in Interstellar, the crew traveled to Iceland. Nolan had previously filmed in Iceland for his 2005 picture Batman Begins. But this time, they shot in two major spots in southern Iceland.
The initial location was Svínafellsjökull, an outlet glacier in the Vatnajökull region. This glacier was utilized to illustrate the ice world, commonly known as Mann’s planet, in the film. On this planet, the character Mann, portrayed by Matt Damon, lies that the world is safe for humans in order to be saved.
The second location was Orrustuhóll in the Eldhraun lava field, where sequences from the water planet, sometimes known as Miller’s planet, were filmed. Orrustuhóll is covered in lava fields and surrounded by water, making it an ideal location for filming the sequences in which Cooper and Amelia, played by Anne Hathaway, lose 23 years owing to time dilation. Anne Hathaway nearly became hypothermic while filming these sequences due to a costume malfunction.
Los Angeles, California, USA
NASA and Other Scenes: Some scenes in Interstellar couldn’t be shot outside, so the actors and crew came to Los Angeles, California, to film them. The NASA facility sequence was shot at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The crew spent three weeks building the set for this scene, but they finished filming in just three days.
In addition, certain sequences were shot on a soundstage in Culver City, CA. This was important because not every scene could be filmed on location in Canada or Iceland.
Colorado, USA
Exterior Secret Base Scenes: The final location for Interstellar was the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The production team only shot the exterior of this facility because they were most likely not permitted to film inside. They probably erected a set for the inside sequences on the Culver City soundstage.
Interstellar was filmed in a variety of unique and beautiful locations around the world, including Alberta in Canada, Iceland, Los Angeles in California, and Colorado. Christopher Nolan’s preference for using real locations and practical effects instead of relying on special effects helped create the stunning and immersive world of Interstellar that audiences continue to admire.
Official Trailer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Interstellar
Q: Where was Interstellar filmed?
A: Interstellar was filmed in various locations around the world, including Alberta, Canada, for the Earth scenes; Longview, Alberta, for Cooper’s home and school scenes; Iceland for the ice and water planets; and Los Angeles, California, for the NASA facility and other interior scenes. The exterior shots of the secret base were filmed at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Q: When was Interstellar filmed?
A: Filming for Interstellar took place from August to December 2013. The production team traveled to different locations around the world to capture the various settings needed for the film.
Q: Where were the Earth scenes in Interstellar filmed?
A: The Earth scenes in Interstellar were primarily filmed in Alberta, Canada. Specific locations included Longview, a small village in southern Alberta, and other parts of the province to depict the desolate, dystopian future Earth.
Q: Where were the space scenes in Interstellar filmed?
A: The space scenes in Interstellar, particularly the ice planet and water planet sequences, were filmed in Iceland. The production team used locations like Svínafellsjökull, a glacier in Vatnajökull, for the ice planet, and Orrustuhóll in the Eldhraun lava field for the water planet.
Q: When was Interstellar released?
A: Interstellar was released in theaters on November 7, 2014. The film received widespread acclaim for its stunning visuals, complex narrative, and scientific accuracy, becoming a major success both critically and commercially.
