Warning: This article contains spoilers for Ad Astra.
Moviegoers who flocked to theaters this weekend to see writer-director James Gray’s Ad Astra received an unexpected cameo by Natasha Lyonne.
The Orange Is The New Black and Russain Doll star’s cameo was born out of the desire to “inject a little bit of weird humor” into the otherwise dark space film starring Brad Pitt, Gray told Entertainment Weekly.
“I’d met [Natasha] a few times and liked her enormously. She’s great. She’s also incredibly talented, and I begged her to do this part for a day,” Gray said. The two were once neighbors at Los Angeles’ El Royale apartment complex.
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Lyonne plays a perky secretary who Pitt’s character, Roy McBride, meets upon arrival in Mars. Gray explained that she improvised tons of footage that didn’t make it into the final film, including one deleted scene that involved disinfectant spray. While Lyonne’s cameo is less than a minute long, Gray said that he hopes to work with the “riveting actress” in a bigger capacity in the future.
In the meantime, the internet can’t get enough of Lyonne in Ad Astra.
Natasha Lyonne explodes in Ad Astra. It's a marriage of her undeniable onscreen LIFE, and the perfect moment in which to place her. Of course she's a clerk on Mars.
— mjweerts (@mjweerts) September 22, 2019
She set the weird mood for the whole planet. pic.twitter.com/oTQs5fFkXb
“Natasha Lyonne explodes in Ad Astra. It's a marriage of her undeniable onscreen LIFE, and the perfect moment in which to place her. Of course she's a clerk on Mars. She set the weird mood for the whole planet,” one person wrote on Twitter.
TFW when Natasha Lyonne shows up in Ad Astra. pic.twitter.com/4y9wnFLVPf
— Phillip Iscove (@pmiscove) September 22, 2019
“TFW when Natasha Lyonne shows up in Ad Astra,” wrote another alongside an excited GIF of Chris Pratt from Parks and Recreation.
Ad Astra has EVERYTHING: space pirates, space therapy, space chimps, SPACE NATASHA LYONNE.
— Josh Kurp (@JoshKurp) September 20, 2019
“Ad Astra has EVERYTHING: space pirates, space therapy, space chimps, SPACE NATASHA LYONNE,” another person wrote.
No judgment here if you go see the movie strictly for Lyonne’s cameo.