Josh O'Connor reveals the 'amazing' advice he got from Steven Spielberg — that was actually a mixed-up text
Josh O'Connor reveals the 'amazing' advice he got from Steven Spielberg — that was actually a mixed-up text
Ryan ColemanThu, April 30, 2026 at 12:43 AM UTC
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Josh O'Connor in 'Disclosure Day'Credit: Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures and Amblin EntertainmentKey Points -
Josh O'Connor is recalling a hilarious mix-up that led to an acting breakthrough on the set of Disclosure Day.
The English actor was "thrilled" to receive a late-night text from Spielberg with helpful advice about a tricky scene.
But when he arrived the following day on set, he learned what Spielberg really meant by the message, leading to a "very big joke" amongst the cast and crew.
Steven Spielberg is cooking with gas even when he doesn't mean to be.
Josh O'Connor, one of the stars of the great American maestro's mysterious new UFO film Disclosure Day, eagerly shared "the greatest Steven Spielberg story" in an interview with the on Wednesday.
"When it happened, I was sort of like punching the air for this very reason, knowing that when it comes to doing press for this film, I can tell the story," O'Connor began, setting the stage.
The rising English star of films like Challengers and La Chimera explained that "halfway through the shoot," he was preparing for "quite an emotional scene and I was struggling with it. I was in my hotel room trying to prep it" when Spielberg "brilliantly" offered his perspective on "the emotion of the scene and how to access that and what we’re ultimately aiming to show in the story. And I felt quite satisfied, but not completely."
Then came a most unexpected late-night text.
Emily Blunt, Steven Spielberg, and Wyatt Russell on the set of 'Disclosure Day'Credit: Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
"I got a text from him quite late at night, just saying, 'The door is on the latch, just push.' And it made so much sense. I was like, 'of course.' The character's kind of got all this emotion, it's built up and it's like a door on the latch and you just push and it all comes out and it's an emotional release," O'Connor shared.
He waltzed back onto the set of Spielberg's highly anticipated return to extraterrestrial cinema "so thrilled with that note," and went straight to Spielberg to thank him.
"'Steven, you totally unlocked it for me. That was amazing,'" O'Connor recalled. "And he was like, 'What are you talking about?'"
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"I said, 'The text about 'the door on the latch just push' it's incredible.' And he laughed and said that that text was supposed to be for his wife. It became a very big joke for all of us. But it did unlock the scene for me, so, fair play," O'Connor explained.
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Disclosure Day is Spielberg's 37th feature film as a director and another in his career exploration of life beyond life on Earth, adding to a lineage that includes E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, War of the Worlds, and, yes, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The film co-stars O'Connor, Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, and Colman Domingo and premieres in just over a month, but little is known about its plot and themes.
Spielberg ventured out to Las Vegas earlier this month to tease new footage from the film during the Universal presentation at CinemaCon.
Though there was significant overlap between footage used in the film's official trailer and what was shown at CinemaCon, that latter presentation included a first look at Disclosure Day's aliens.
One intriguing shot toward the end of the new footage showed several human figures holding umbrellas over the heads of smaller humanoid creatures that bear a striking resemblance to the small aliens at the end of Close Encounters.
Fans will have to wait until Disclosure Day premieres on June 12 to see what Spielberg's been cooking up.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
