Ariana DeBose Reflects on the Big Questions That ‘I.S.S.’ Asks About Humanity

January 16, 2024 Sophia Soto

Ariana DeBose stars as American astronaut Kira Foster in I.S.S., a new sci-fi thriller that will be released in theaters on January 19.

Tensions flare in the near future aboard the International Space Station as a worldwide conflict breaks out on Earth. Reeling from this, the astronauts receive orders from the ground: take control of the station by any means necessary.

“When I read the script, I realized very quickly that as much as it is a suspense thriller that takes place in space, it’s really about the people,” the actress shared with me. “It forced me to ask questions of myself of, ‘Okay, what was I taught about Russia and Russian culture? What was I taught about their government?’ Very different answers, right? And how does that affect how I relate to the people? So at the end of the day, it’s still about the people and it doesn’t just apply to Russian culture, it applies to how I, how we relate to everyone in this world and at what point do we stop seeing culture and just see humanity, right? Our borders and our boundaries actually should not define how we take care of each other. So the film and the script, I think, do ask very big questions and this film is not meant to answer them. It’s just meant to beg the questions.”