How we created Moon – by Sam Rockwell and Duncan Jones | Movie

Duncan Jones, Director

I wanted Sam Rockwell to play the villain in Mute, a movie I shot later for Netflix. But he wanted to play a type of blue collar. We both loved the science fiction movies of the '70s and early' 80s – Silent Running, Alien, Outland – and the sense of realism and worldliness that they brought into space , with a lot of daily work comparable to jobs on Earth. . So I said, "Let me see if I can write something."

I've developed the story about a man who operates helium-3 on the moon and who meets his clone – and Nathan Parker wrote the screenplay. The base of the moon is called Sarang, the Korean word meaning love, because I lived in a distant relationship with a Korean girl at the time. The frustration and feeling of isolation felt by Sam Bell, the main character, is definitely something that I was channeling. I also thought that there was something interesting about having the opportunity to meet at a different time in his life, to see how a mature version of yourself would interact with a more raw and emotional version. That's certainly what I changed as I got older.

My roommate Gavin Rothery worked a lot on the concept. He gave the base of the moon and Gerty, the robot voiced by Kevin Spacey, their look. While we were working in London, we ordered so much food at Mexicali on Fulham Road that we ended up using their takeaways for Sam's space rations. We built the lunar base as a complete 360-degree set and we were going to seal the cast and the team at the beginning of the day. This set gave us confidence, even though it cost nearly a third of our budget of $ 5 million (£ 3.9 million). It's hard enough to make a low-budget movie without worrying: "Oh, I can not pan here because I do not have enough scenery."

We wanted to make things as real as possible. Miniature model vehicles were the subject of much love and attention, but they needed additional visual effects, such as dust raised by the tires. Then there was the problem of interaction between the two Sams.

Nowadays, this type of multiple performance, obtained with CGI, is quite common, but it was much more difficult in the 2000s. We chose scenes that would give the most impressive visuals featuring the two clones, so that the public never feels deceived. For the fight scene, Sam struggled with a stuntman who wore a green stocking over his head and we traded him digitally later.

I do not think Moon was negative about technology, but it was not particularly positive either. Right now, I desperately need an upbeat science fiction because we need it. How does humanity get out of this situation? Can we see a future that will excite us? Moon was 10 years ago and it's crazy what the world has changed.

Sam Rockwell, actor

There is a part of each actor who wants to control each scene, so when you play both parts, you have that. But Moon was still discouraging: a brainbad, of course. To differentiate the clones, I started to improvise with a friend actor, Yul Vazquez, and Duncan would film us. I had listened to Jeremy Irons' DVD commentary on Dead Ringers, in which he played twins and talked about contrasting energies. That's what we did: an alpha / beta trick. A clone had been there alone for three years, so it was a little Robinson Crusoe, a little lively. The other was full of testosterone.

Duncan incorporated all of this into the script, but he was still worried that the public would not know who was who. There was quite a discussion about using a wig and it was not a good wig. I said, "I really do not think we should do that." It would not have worked for the whole movie. I pushed for the use of the wardrobe and makeup to distinguish them subtly. We put tight fitting clothes and healthy make-up for the healthy clone, more loose clothes for each other. I used accessories, such as glbades and hats, and stole Ratso Rizzo's cough at Midnight Cowboy for the sick clone.

Most of the time, I played a tennis ball on a stand or Robin Chalk, an actor who looked like my back. I was doing makeup to switch to the other clone two or three times a day – we were trying to finish whole scenes. It was a wild experience. There was a writers' strike, so we were alone at the Shepperton studio. I looked a lot like a monk during that time, just going to the gym to eat chicken, roll cigarettes and drink coffee.

This is an important step in my career. It is celebrated in this clandestine way. This has promoted a resurgence of intellectual science fiction, such as District 9 and Ex Machina. Who knew that the movie would have this life?

• Moon is now on 4K Blu-ray.