'Interstellar' producer to work with Hawking

Lynda Obst, the Hollywood producer of last year's smash-hit "Interstellar," said she will work with prominent physicist Stephen Hawking for her next science fiction movie.

"I am doing a project with Stephen Hawking," Obst said to reporters at a news conference in COEX on April 30.

The 65-year-old producer was invited to the Culture Technology Forum in Seoul, and met with reporters before giving a key note speech. The forum was organized by the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA), an affiliate organization of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

"I believe audiences are getting smarter and maybe we just have to get better science education because I deeply believe that what is out there is fundamentally interesting than what a screenwriter can make up in his imagination," she said.

"So we just have to create great story to go along with great visuals."

Obst is best been known for producing romance films such as "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), "Someone Like You (2001)" and "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" (2003). She began developing an interest in making science fiction after producing "Contact," a film based on renowned American astronomer Carl Sagan's novel of the same title. She said that her interest in grounded science guides her in making science fiction.

"Carl Sagan was my best friend and I made Contact with him. When we were making Contact, my personnel motivation was grounded in science. Science can inspire you if you can tell a great story behind it.

"You can turn on the world to these big ideas through characters and a story and that is what we tried to do in Contact. He introduced me to Kip (Thorne), and that was the origin of Interstellar after Kip and I became friends," Obst said. Kip Thorne, an American theoretical physicist is a familiar name to Interstellar fans for his contribution as a scientific consultant.

Interstellar, a space exploration film by director Christopher Nolan, starring Matthew Conaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain became a phenomenon in Korea, garnering more than 10 million viewers. Korea was the third largest market for the film's total earnings, following North America and China.

The producer stressed the success of Interstellar was possible because moviegoers in these countries, including Korea, are "very scientifically minded, technologically advanced and smart."

In the latter part of the conference, the Hollywood producer also gave a warm comment for young female film producers in Korea, citing Dawn Steel, the late president of Columbia Pictures and the first female producer to run a major Hollywood studio.

"Dawn was not only a mentor to me but also we were best friends. We made Flashdance together. I miss her every day. And I think that Dawn will give the following advice to young producers: Don't care what they think about you. Just go with your gut. Just go for it. If you have something you are passionate about, just go for it," she said.

Impression : Other people's thinking is incredibly influential to our mind. When we create the idea, write an article, or speak, other's thought is very important. But most of us miss their amazing thinking because of that. Reading this article then i realized once again. If something I am passionate about, the best way is just do it.