Cristin Milioti felt like she had been inside a martini shaker after filming scenes in 鈥淯SS Callister: Into Infinity.鈥
鈥淚t was a lot like falling out of a hospital bed,鈥 she explains. 鈥淚t was very physical 鈥 but I like that.鈥
Cristin Milioti stars in "USS Callister: Into Infinity."
In the latest edition of the Emmy-winning 鈥淏lack Mirror鈥 installment, she had intense stunts and action sequences on a couple of levels. 鈥淚 can run and stuff but I鈥檓 not a trained stunt person,鈥 Milioti says. The stunt coordinator 鈥渨as very helpful at choreographing it based on our skill level.鈥
One scene, for example, took three hours of rehearsal. The result? An amazing display of action on screen.
In the sequel, Milioti returns as Nanette Cole, a programmer who has volunteered to track rogue players in an immersive virtual reality-based game. Because it exists on several levels, the story required her to play a clone as well as the original character. For newcomers, it may sound confusing, but the original paid homage to 鈥淪tar Trek,鈥 video games and the cultures that surround them.
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Cristin Milioti shows off her stunt skills with Jimmi Simpson in "USS Callister."
When the original was released in 2017, it was hailed as a crowning achievement of 鈥淏lack Mirror鈥 and a likely candidate for reboot. A series was pondered but the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike derailed the idea, and the plot was reworked for 鈥淚nto Infinity.鈥
Going back to the ship, Milioti says, was 鈥渞eally trippy. It was so cool, but I did feel like I was in an active d茅j脿 vu simulation.鈥
Sets were eerily similar, according to co-star Jimmi Simpson. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 ever have that. You also don鈥檛 have (time freezing). We鈥檙e all just the same people, just eight years later.鈥
Jimmi Simpson plays a tech billionaire in "USS Callister."聽
The new edition emphasizes further developments in the gaming world and points a finger at tech billionaires 鈥渨ho are making huge choices that negatively impact the rest of the world, solely for greed or an ego pet,鈥 Simpson says.
Both actors got to play a variety of emotions as their real/clone characters. Simpson likens it to therapy. His character, he says, discovers he鈥檚 fallible 鈥渁nd he鈥檚 being crushed from a force that is more powerful than him for the first time. That鈥檚 when he has realized, 鈥極h, god, I鈥檓 deeply flawed.鈥 He鈥檚 getting a sense that that connection is what life is about.鈥
The story within a story, Milioti says, gave writer Charlie Brooker a chance to comment on reality television before characters blow someone apart. 鈥淚t reflects the callousness that can be within anonymity online,鈥 she says. 鈥淥r like these tech billionaires who are making these choices that affect millions and millions of people and they have no thought about it. I like how he mines the humor in that with this.鈥
Director Toby Hayne鈥榮 energy, Simpson says, 鈥渉elped us feel like (we were at) summer camp. There鈥檚 a very childlike, almost counselor quality to him.鈥
If he said, 鈥淕o jump in the lake,鈥 Simpson says, 鈥渨e鈥檇 go jump in the lake. It keeps us feeling young and off balance.鈥
Cristin Milioti returns in "USS Callister: Into Infinity."聽
At the end of the first film, Milioti鈥檚 character had power and confidence. 鈥淪he鈥檚 discovered this new reserve within herself.鈥 In the new edition, 鈥渟he鈥檚 at her wits鈥 end and she鈥檚 really bad at this job. She鈥檚 retreating more and more into herself and becoming more and more meek.鈥
The virtual world version, however, 鈥渋s constantly ready for something to burst through the wall.鈥
The film was fun, Simpson says, even though the actors were playing 鈥渙ur worst traits come to life.鈥
That dual-identity premise worked, he adds, because the two had chemistry. 鈥淲e share a caffeine dependency and a love of theater and we kind of just let it happen.鈥
"USS Callister: Into Infinity" airs on Netflix.聽
