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FilmWeek Feature: Larry Interviews The NASA Astronaut Who Inspired The Film ‘A Million Miles Away’ And The Film’s Writer And Director

By FilmWeek Staff

Published Sep 15, 2023 9:47 AM

Michael Pena walks down a brightly lit hallway wearing an orange astronaut suit. His chin is slightly raised, a faint smile across his lips, as he looks forward filled with self pride. A trail of other astronauts in the same suits follow behind him.

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Larry Mantle speaks with José Hernández, NASA astronaut and author of the book that inspired the film “Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut," and Alejandra Márquez Abella, writer and director of “A Million Miles Away”.

FilmWeek Feature: Larry Interviews The NASA Astronaut Who Inspired The Film ‘A Million Miles Away’ And The Film’s Writer And Director

Inspired by the real-life story of NASA flight engineer José Hernández, the new film “A Million Miles Away” follows Hernández (portrayed by Michael Peña), a young man from a family of migrant farm workers, to his career as an astronaut traveling to the International Space Station. Hernández’s family migrated from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico and later settled in the San Joaquin Valley. Today on FilmWeek, Larry Mantle speaks with José Hernández, NASA astronaut and author of the book that inspired the film “Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut,” and Alejandra Márquez Abella, writer and director of “A Million Miles Away”.

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FilmWeek Feature: Larry Interviews The NASA Astronaut Who Inspired The Film ‘A Million Miles Away’ And The Film’s Writer And Director