Though most of the current buzz surrounding actor Sam Rockwell has had to do with his recent appearance at San Diego Comic-Con and his participation in next summer's Iron Man 2, Rockwell is currently starring in an independent movie with a minimal budget and an even smaller cast that's winning over fans and critics alike. Moon is the directorial debut of Duncan Jones, aka rocker David Bowie's son Zowie Bowie, and was specificially written by Jones and Nathan Parker with Rockwell in mind.
In a performance that Wired called "intensely introspective" and The Times called "poignant," Rockwell stars as Sam Bell, a blue-collar lunar employee who struggles with the effects of long-term isolation after a three-year stint. With nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey and gritty sci-fi like Outland, Moon was initially only released in New York and Los Angeles but is now in wider release, thanks to critical praise and positive word-of-mouth. Some are even calling Rockwell's performance Oscar-worthy.
Rockwell is less concerned about the talk of awards than he is the fact that people have the chance to see the movie. When asked about the prospect of an Academy Award nomination during Comic-Con's Iron Man 2 Q&A, Rockwell said:
It's very flattering. It's a nice thing to say. You know, from their mouth to God's ears. But, you know, right now it's early in the year for that kind of stuff. It's very nice. It's very nice to hear that kind of validation. It's a small movie that I thought was going to disappear after a week or two that's still around, so I'm really excited about it.
I'm a sci-fi fan, so I'm just proud to be a part of it. I'm really excited. I didn't think anybody was going to see it and more people have seen it than I thought.