PREVIEW

Josh O'Connor has recalled receiving "mind-blowing" messages from Steven Spielberg. The 35-year-old actor stars in the iconic director's new untitled movie, with details about the project still under wraps. In a new interview with GQ, O'Connor revealed Spielberg was always on hand to offer inspiration during filming. Recalling one moment where he contacted the filmmaker about a particular scene, O'Connor shared: "Sometimes he will say something that's mind-blowing and poetic and incredible.” As the pair continued to text back and forth about the scene, O'Connor felt his query had been resolved. However, he later received a message simply reading: "The door is ajar, just push.” "Because it was about emotion," he continued, as he explained how the message instantly resonated. ”And I was like, 'The door is ajar, just push'? You know when you're choking up and emotional and you're holding it in, holding it in, and then something just makes you go pffft.” When O'Connor met Spielberg on set the next day, he repeated the advice, “The door is ajar, just push", but Spielberg looked confused. It later emerged that the text message had been intended for Spielberg's wife, who had forgotten her key. While O'Connor was initially mortified, he later realised Spielberg had inadvertently helped him anyway. He added: "But I was right to investigate it, because it is the kind of thing he would write. And it f**king worked!”. Elsewhere in the interview, O'Connor recalled his first day on the atmospheric set as "such a Spielberg setting", before hailing the director as "the architect of our childhood”. O'Connor is joined by Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo for the new film, with a screenplay by David Koepp. It is expected to have sci-fi elements, with O'Connor previously hinting it will resemble Spielberg's earlier works including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The film has an expected release date of May 2026.
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