Diksha Sundriyal
In Prime Video’s ‘Space Cadet,’ Emma Roberts’ Rex Simpson decides to become an astronaut even though she has no STEM career. Her dream might seem baseless and ridiculous to most people, but to her best friend, Nadine, it is no joke. Even though the task ahead of them seems impossible, Nadine does her best to help Rex in any way possible to make sure that her best friend puts her best foot forward rather than putting herself down for things that happened in her life over which she had no control. Apart from her fierce loyalty to Rex, other things about Nadine make her a force to reckon with. Her pregnancy is one of those things.
Poppy Liu’s Pregnancy in Space Cadet is Real
If you thought Nadine’s baby bump in ‘Space Cadet’ seemed too good for a fake bump, then you are right; it is not fake. Actress Poppy Liu was pregnant during the filming of ‘Space Cadet.’ Initially, her character, Nadine, wasn’t supposed to be pregnant in the film. However, between getting cast for the role and the beginning of the film’s shooting, Liu got pregnant with her first child. She was seven months pregnant by the time filming commenced. Instead of seeing it as a challenge to overcome, writer-director Liz Garcia saw it as the opportunity to morph Nadine and rewrite her as pregnant in the film.
With all her pregnancy’s challenges, Liu revealed that the cast and crew of ‘Space Cadet’ were highly accommodating of this change, and she felt “cared for during a vulnerable stage” in her life. Co-star Emma Roberts, who had a baby a year before, took extra care of Liu and was “very caregiving and maternal” towards her. To make her comfortable during the breaks, Liu was given a cast chair that would allow her to lie down and have proper rest.
Liu revealed that ‘Space Cadet’ wasn’t her only job during her pregnancy. In an Instagram post, she shared her feelings during her pregnancy and revealed that she had overworked herself and “struggled advocating for [her] needs on numerous occasions.” At times, she felt she had “severely crossed [her] capacity boundaries” for what her body was capable of at the time, apart from the mental toll she had to face for the nine months. And yet, all of this was made easier by the people around her who supported and cared for her.
Liu’s Pregnancy Helped Her Portray Nadine Better
With Nadine also being pregnant during the events of the film, Liu found it easy to slip into the character’s mindset, especially when it comes to being flustered. She already felt like she was making a big mess, so when Nadine made a mess in the film, Liu didn’t have to do much to channel that emotion. The actress also noted several similarities between herself and Nadine, from her impeccable dressing sense to her unwavering steadfastness to stand by her friend, even if she has to commit fraud to get her what she wants.
Liu also credited her “delusional seven-month pregnant brain” with coming up with the accents in the scenes where she is on the phone with Logan, testifying to Rex’s credentials. Jokes aside, she found the context clues about the personalities she had to inhabit as a great reference to figure out what she wanted to do with the voice. She also noted that technically, Nadine didn’t have to be very good at those accents, and the fact that she was faking it made it easier for Liu to get to the heart of her performance. Considering all things, it seems Liu tapped into her emotions and feelings during her pregnancy to bring more depth to Nadine’s character.
Read More: Space Cadet: Is Rex Simpson Based on a Real Person?
