From making friends with octopuses to delivering vulnerable solo guitar performances, Remarkably Bright Creatures, the new Netflix film based on Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel, pushed its stars into unexpected territory.
The story follows Tova (Sally Field), a widow who forms an unlikely friendship with an eight-armed sea creature, and Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a young musician drifting through life. Together, their characters discover connection in surprising ways.
The Oscar-winning actress was attached early to the heartfelt story of two lonely people finding each other and, unexpectedly, discovering a confidant in a Pacific octopus living in an aquarium.
“This came to me in galleys before it was published. I immediately said it was something that I wanted to do,” Field tells Gold Derby. “From page one, you’re struck by the fact that the narrator is a giant Pacific octopus and that Tova, the character I play, is very much dependent upon him. He is the only one she talks to. That struck me, her loneliness, her isolation, her hanging on to her grief.”
For Pullman, who previously starred in Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons in Chemistry, and Thunderbolts, the role of Cameron, a struggling guitarist who lands in a small town after his van breaks down, resonated deeply. At its core, he says, the film is about an uncommon kind of bond.
“I feel like friendship movies are few and far between. It’s always romance. But something about a friendship, an odd friendship, crushes me. Two people who are very different, finding common ground and safety. And who are each lost in their own way,” he says.
The film’s third standout “performance” comes from Marcellus, a witty and observant CGI octopus voiced by Alfred Molina. Field said she had little firsthand experience with the unique creatures before reading the book.
“I’ve always, for a long time, been fascinated by the versatility of these weird-looking creature,” she says.
For Pullman, who is a drummer off-screen, one of the most challenging moments came when Cameron performs an acoustic version of a Radiohead song. The scene required him to step outside his musical comfort zone.
“We kind of went around and around with which song it would be and which song he would listen to and would be a song that he could kind of cathartically express himself through,” explains Pullman, who says he brought a guitar to set and practiced whenever possible.
Field reveals that Pullman comes from a family with strong musical roots, including his father, actor Bill Pullman. “His family is musical. I mean, they’re the perfect people. They play music together and hang out together,” she says.
But when it came time to film the scene, the nerves set in for Pullman. “He kept saying that he doesn’t do this. He’s a drummer in his band,” says Field. “But then he picked up the gosh darn guitar and started singing and it was gobsmacking. I mean, he was so, so good.”
For Pullman, having Field there made all the difference.
“Luckily I had Sally in the audience cheering me on.”
