The best movie Easter eggs rarely exist purely to mess with one person on set. And yet somehow, one of those made it all the way into Project Hail Mary, which is now playing on the 2026 movie calendar. According to the movie's star Ryan Gosling, there is one line he ad-libbed to troll his cameraman that made it into the final film, and it's incredible.
Thanks to a recent interview clip shared by HitRadioUK on Instagram, we now know Gosling’s favorite Rocky line in the movie comes when his character, Ryland Grace, is talking with his alien companion about a failed relationship. At one point, he mentions that his ex is now with someone named Mark. Rocky, being the supportive (and very literal) friend that he is, fires back with a simple response:
‘Rocky hate Mark.’ I work with a guy named Mark and we’ve worked together for ten years. He was next to the camera and I was improvising with Rocky about my ex-girlfriend and I just said, ‘But now she’s with Mark.’ And then James said, ‘Rocky hate Mark.’ And we just did it to make my friend feel seen. But it made it in the movie, and so that’s a fun Easter egg for me.
So yes, that line exists in the highly anticipated adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel because Ryan Gosling casually name-dropped a longtime collaborator mid-scene, and everyone else rolled with it. That alone is great, but the fact that it’s his favorite line makes it even better.
For anyone who hasn’t been following along, Project Hail Mary centers on Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher turned astronaut who wakes up alone on a spacecraft with no memory, only to realize he’s on a last-ditch mission to save Earth. While some book fans have pointed out that the marketing gave away the reveal that he teams up with an alien named Rocky, the character is clearly a major part of the film’s charm, bringing both humor and heart to the story.
What’s kind of amazing about Ryan Gosling’s favorite Rocky line is that it doesn’t feel out of place. If anything it fits perfectly with the tone of Project Hail Mary, especially the dynamic between Grace and Rocky. That’s partly thanks to James Ortiz, who not only performed Rocky physically but also voiced the character. His chemistry with Gosling clearly left room for improvisation, which is how a moment like this could even happen in the first place.
And that flexibility seems to have paid off. The film has been getting strong early reactions, with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score out of the gate, suggesting audiences are connecting with both the spectacle and the character-driven moments. The flick blasted off on opening night with $11 million domestically, leading to one heck of a debut weekend.
And then there’s “Rocky hate Mark,” which is exactly the kind of Easter egg most viewers will miss the first time around. But once you know the story behind it, it becomes even better. What started as a simple improv moment between collaborators has turned into a lasting inside joke, one that feels destined to become a small but memorable part of the film’s legacy.
Project Hail Mary is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.
