Colin O’Donoghue – The Right Stuff

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) Was this role on “The Right Stuff” an audition for you or something you were pitched?

A) It was an audition and it was pretty close, but they went with a different actor. That happens all the time. Sometimes people work with people and have an idea of what they want. Fortunately, it didn’t work out for that actor and they had to drop out. And they called me and were shooting in four days’ time.

Q) What kind of research did you do on Gordo Cooper?

A) I read the book before and I had seen the movie. Obviously, when I got cast there was such short time. I, basically, tried to overload as much as I could on interviews and all that kind of stuff. The work was kind of done for me on the page. That was good for me because it meant that I wasn’t in my head about playing a real guy. I was able to just play what was on the page and sometimes that is actually quite freeing.

Q) Does it take slipping into the suits and costumes for you to feel like you’ve truly embodied him?

A) For me, it’s the accent because I’m Irish and he’s from Oklahoma. When I do the accent, the character begins to take shape. Naturally, wearing the costume and being surrounded by the set and vehicles from the late 50’s, early 60’s you kind of have the ability to embody that character. For me, the main thing is once I’ve done the accent it allows me to sort of unwrap and become less me and more who the version of the character is that I’m playing.

Q) Were you familiar with most of your costars?

A) Yeah, I’d actually work with Patrick Fischler on “Once Upon a Time.” He played the author. I knew of Patrick Adams. I was so lucky.

Q) You’ve played a cowboy, an astronaut and Captain Hook. You’ve basically lived every young boy’s dream!

A) I know! Within a year and a half, I was a pirate, a cowboy, an outlaw in the 1800’s and now an astronaut and test pilot.

Q) There is an interesting bond between John Glenn and Gordo. How would you describe their relationship?

A) I think Gordo really respects John Glenn. John Glenn was one of the most decorated of The Seven pilots. I think he was the eldest and Gordo was the youngest. He admired him and looked up to him. He wanted to seem like he was part of the team as well. I think Gordo was very inclusive and John very much sets himself apart from the guys as being on his own. Working with Patrick was a dream because he’s so fantastic in the role and so giving. The cast genuinely became a family. We lived in Orlando for five months to shoot the show and we all became so incredibly close. We were very, very lucky. To be comfortable enough to be able to play with each other was everything. Even when it came to Gordo’s wife Trudy, their relationship was very, very complicated. It was so well written, but you also have an actress to go there with you and allows you to have the freedom to explore. And Eloise [Mumford] is just amazing.

Q) I love Gordo’s relationship with Trudy, which is kind of ahead of its time with him being so supportive of her career. What did you learn about them during your research?

A) They were separated during the space program. That was a big no-no. Nobody knew they were separated, but they were. I don’t think you could carry on as a test pilot and be separated. Even though it was risky to get behind the controls of a plane, you couldn’t be separated. They pretended, which was a wrench at the time, but also an asset. Trudy was a pilot and that’s how they fell in love when they first met. That was a whole different era back then. The way people treated each other was completely different than nowadays and what was acceptable and what wasn’t. It’s all very different.

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming?

A) We’d have a laugh on set and we’d all go out for a while. Aaron Staton had a Nintendo Switch in his trailer and we’d go in and play Mario Kart. You pretty quickly shake off the late 1950’s. You just have to get on with it. In general, we would just chill out.

Q) What do you hope viewers take away from watching “The Right Stuff?”

A) I hope that people are inspired by these guys who largely are kind of forgotten about now, but at the time they became the most famous man on the planet. They were willing to sit on a nuclear rocket that was fired into space and nobody had an idea what was past the atmosphere. They were an inspiration and to do the space program wouldn’t be what it is today. There is an international space station with astronauts on it. You forget that at that time it had never been heard of. It had never been done before. So, hopefully they are inspired by it. It’s an inspiring story.