With Disclosure Day set to hit theaters this week, anticipation for Steven Spielberg’s long-awaited return to big-screen sci-fi is reaching a fever pitch. The legendary filmmaker hasn’t delivered a sci-fi blockbuster in nearly a decade, and if the film’s stars are to be believed, audiences are in for a thrilling ride that barely lets up once it gets moving.
Speaking with GamesRadar+ during a London press event, stars Josh O’Connor and Eve Hewson opened up about their experience making Disclosure Day, offering some insight into the pace, style, and energy of Spielberg’s mysterious alien-centered adventure.
O’Connor, who plays whistleblower Daniel Kellner, described the film’s momentum in a way that captures the feeling of being launched into something much bigger than yourself.
“It’s like a gun going off before the hundred meter dash,” O’Connor says. “It was kind of like driving straight through, and so in that sense the, like, rush element of it is so there.”
In the film, Kellner finds himself targeted by a secretive extra-governmental organization determined to keep evidence of alien life hidden from the public. Along the way, his girlfriend Jane, played by Hewson, is pulled into the chaos as the pair struggle to stay ahead of their pursuers.
For O’Connor, working with Spielberg for the first time was every bit as memorable as fans might expect. The actor shared a comparison he heard from a friend that immediately clicked with him.
“I can’t claim this one, but a friend of mine described Steven as like the ‘Mozart of the moving image. There are things about his films that, for me, and I’m sure for many, feel nostalgic. You immediately get this sense of safety from Steven’s images, because of [his movies] being so present in our childhood.”
That combination of wonder, familiarity, and spectacle has long been a hallmark of Spielberg’s filmmaking. But while Disclosure Day deals with extraterrestrial secrets and government conspiracies, Hewson says the director approached the visuals in a surprisingly grounded way.
Having previously worked with Spielberg on Bridge of Spies more than a decade ago, she explained that the goal was to make the story feel as if it could unfold in the real world right now.
“He wanted to make it kind of feel a little bit documentary style,” Hewson notes. “He wanted to make it feel very alive and real, like it could happen today, tomorrow, the next day. So that’s exciting too, the way he shot it, and the way they use the light, it just feels very present.”
That realism was brought to life with the help of longtime Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski, whose cinematography has shaped some of the director’s most iconic films.
According to Hewson, the visual approach helps sell the idea that alien encounters and government cover-ups aren’t happening in some distant fantasy world, but right outside your front door.
The cast surrounding O’Connor and Hewson is equally impressive, featuring Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, and Wyatt Russell. Early reactions from critics and industry screenings have been extremely enthusiastic, with some viewers already calling it Spielberg’s strongest film in two decades.
Whether those lofty claims hold up remains to be seen, but the combination of Spielberg returning to sci-fi, an intriguing alien conspiracy story, and a cast packed with talent has certainly made Disclosure Day one of the most anticipated movies of the summer.
Audiences won’t have to wait much longer to find out what Spielberg has been cooking up. Disclosure Day lands in U.S. theaters on June 12.
