Oscar winner Ariana DeBose headlines tense space thriller 'I.S.S.'

Ariana DeBose won an Oscar for her explosive singing and dancing in 2021’s "West Side Story," but the star’s latest big-screen turn requires a much different kind of choreography.

DeBose headlines "I.S.S.," a tense, claustrophobic space thriller directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. Set aboard the International Space Station, the film centers on three American astronauts and three Russian cosmonauts forced to turn against each other when a global conflict breaks out on Earth. 

To create the film’s realistic portrayal of zero gravity, the stars wore harnesses and were hung by a series of tethers. On a scale of one to 10 — with 10 being the most uncomfortable — DeBose jokes that wearing the harnesses was "a solid 15."

"It was a real pleasure to learn a new skill," says DeBose, "but I will say … it is challenging to figure out, ‘How do you actually make it look as if you are weightless and this is very easy when every muscle in your body is activated?’"

For director Cowperthwaite, creating a sense of growing tension and paranoia meant referencing classic thriller and horror films from the 1970s and 1980s.

"I remember invoking John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing,' which is one of my favorites of all time," says the director. "And I always loved those movies, so suddenly it was, like, ‘Wait, someone’s telling me I can go do that a little bit? And play in that world?’"

"I.S.S." opens in theaters nationwide on Friday — to hear more from the star and director, click the video player in this article.