<p id=”par-1_45″><em>Project Hail Mary</em>, a film about a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/do-you-remember-when-ryan-gosling-told-the-world-that-the-only-thing-he-was-looking-for-in-a-woman-was-that-she-was-eva-mendes.html/”>teacher turned astronaut</a>, has been a massive box office success. It has also inspired viewers to consider a new career. A new study shows that interest in becoming an astronaut has <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/heated-rivalry-drives-367-increased-interest-hockey-lessons.html/”>jumped significantly online</a> in the past month. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-project-hail-mary-drives-searches-for-astronaut-jobs”>‘Project Hail Mary’ drives searches for astronaut jobs</h2>
<p id=”par-2_45″><em>Project Hail Mary</em> <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/ryan-gosling-revealed-couldnt-movies-starred.html/”>stars Ryan Gosling</a> as a teacher who wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how he ended up there. The film is a hit with audiences and critics, and has inspired some viewers to look into ways to get space.</p>
<p id=”par-3_43″>Research by early careers experts, <a target=”_blank” href=”https://higherin.com/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Higherin</a>, found that searches for “how do I become an astronaut” have jumped by 5,000% in the past 30 days. Searches for “Astronaut jobs” jumped by 180%, and “how much do astronauts get paid” is up by 120%.</p>
<p id=”par-4_23″>“I love it when pop culture shows people a new job that they hadn’t considered before,” said Oliver Sidwell, the co-founder of Higherin.</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Project Hail Mary – Official Trailer” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/m08TxIsFTRI?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-5_23″>He noted that while the film shows a <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/first-man-missed-mark-tone-astronaut-chris-hadfield-explains.html/”>fictionalized version of an astronaut’s job</a>, the career can still be exciting in real life.</p>
<p id=”par-6_42″>“Yes, <em>Project Hail Mary</em> is a very glamorous and Hollywood version of space travel but it’s still an exciting job,” he said. “To become an astronaut, typically you need a master’s degree in a STEM field or to be a qualified pilot.”</p>
<p id=”par-7_21″>He encouraged young people looking to get a start in the field to focus on science, technology, engineering, and math classes. </p>
<p id=”par-8_39″>“To stand out from the crowd, look at internships that are relevant to your field,” he added. “Being able to speak multiple languages is also a big selling point, as is high fitness levels. Good luck to anyone interested.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-film-has-been-a-massive-success-since-its-release”>The film has been a massive success since its release</h2>
<p id=”par-9_42″><em>Project Hail Mary</em> has become one of this year’s biggest box office successes. In the second weekend since its release, it passed the $300 million mark at the global box office. This makes it the top-earning Hollywood film of 2026 so far. </p>
<p id=”par-10_32″>It earned $54.5 million domestically in its second weekend, which is only a 32% drop from its first weekend. It has also been a success with critics, earning a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ryan-gosling-said-his-kids-helped-him-look-smarter-before-playing-an-astronaut-in-project-hail-mary”>Ryan Gosling said his kids helped him look ‘smarter’ before playing an astronaut in ‘Project Hail Mary’</h2>
<p id=”par-11_34″>Gosling is <em>Project Hail Mary</em>’s star, and his popularity as an actor can likely account for much of the film’s success. He said fans can <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/ryan-gosling-eva-mendes-kids-keeping-together-tough-move-source-says.html/”>thank his kids</a> for helping him build his character.</p>
<p id=”par-12_32″>“They’ve seen many cuts, and they’ve given many notes,” he told <a href=”https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2026/03/18/ryan-gosling-project-hail-mary-star-wars/89169403007/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>USA Today</a>. “They’re the harshest critics, but they are always right, for the most part, and they’ve really been so helpful.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Project Hail Mary | “Roommates” – Official Clip” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/yUDp8l7rysU?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-13_15″>He said a comment from his daughter helped him make the character look more intelligent.</p>
<p id=”par-14_49″>“When I was playing with the character, just trying stuff out, and I threw on some glasses, my daughter went, ‘You look smarter with glasses.’ And I was like: ‘Well, thank you very much. I think I will be wearing these in the film. Thank you for that note.’”</p>
<p id=”par-15_7″><em>Project Hail Mary</em> is currently in theaters.</p>