(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you haven’t seen “First Man.”)
“First Man” is a retelling of one of the biggest moments in history, as well as a portrait of the reclusive man who became the first to walk on the moon.
Damien Chazelle’s drama starring Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong focuses more on the home life of the astronaut as he prepared for his dangerous missions into space.
That includes delving into the 1962 death of his daughter, Karen, of a malignant brain tumor at age two. Throughout the movie, Armstrong is seen holding his daughter’s bracelet — and even takes it to the moon and throws it into a giant crater there before returning home.
But how factual is that part? Did Armstrong really throw his daughter’s bracelet into the crater?
Long story short, no one really knows. According to an individual with knowledge of the project, Armstrong never talked about it but his sister feels that he might have done so, given that he had 11 minutes alone on the moon — mostly exploring what is known as the East Crater — where no one knows exactly what he did.
Screenwriter Josh Singer told TheWrap that he included the scene based on a conjecture formed by James R. Hansen, who wrote the biography, “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong,” on which the movie is based.
“For Jim, after spending two years pursuing Armstrong and spending hours interviewing him and Janet [his wife] and his sister and everybody else, Jim started to get the idea that maybe Neil left something personal on the moon,” Singer said.
“Leaving tokens on the moon for loved ones or lost ones was something that was regularly done. So Jim started to wonder if Neil left anything that belonged to Karen behind and started looking through the manifest for Neil’s personal property kit and Neil said he had lost it,” Singer said. “That didn’t sound like Neil, and in fact he hadn’t lost it. It’s in the Purdue archives and it’s in fact being kept under seal until 2022 or something. But perhaps he had misplaced, and it still felt odd.”
“Did he take something of Karen with him to the Moon?” Armstrong’s sister June asked Hansen rhetorically in the book. “Oh, I dearly hope so.”
While he did take his wife Janet’s olive branch pin to the moon, there’s also no evidence he brought anything for his two sons.
“I assumed he had taken things to give to the boys later, but I don’t believe he has ever given them anything,” Janet told Hansen. “Neil can be thoughtful, but he does not give much time to being thoughtful, or at least to expressing it.”
Buzz Aldrin and Armstrong did take personal kits to the moon, although Armstrong “never released any information about the contents of his PPK.”
“More concerned about getting every necessary object inside the LM, the astronauts almost forgot to leave a small packet of memorial items on the lunar surface,” the book reads. “Aldrin recalls the near oversight: ‘We were so busy that I was halfway up the ladder before Neil asked me if I had remembered to leave the mementos we had brought along. I had completely forgotten. What we had hoped to make into a brief ceremony, had there been time, ended almost as an afterthought. I reached into my shoulder pocket, pulled the packet out and tossed it onto the surface.’ The packet contained two Soviet-made medals, in honor of deceases cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit the Earth, who died in a MiG-15 accident in March 1967; and Vladimir Komarov, killed a month after Gagarin at the conclusion of his Soyuz 1 flight when his spacecraft’s descent parachute failed to open. Also in the packet was an Apollo 1 patch commemorating Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. Also inside was a small gold olive-branch pin, symbolic of the peaceful nature of the American Moon landing program. The token was identical to the pins that the three Apollo 11 astronauts were carrying as gifts from their wives.”
“I didn’t bring anything else for myself,” Armstrong said. “At least not that I can remember.” Janet Armstrong said her husband “didn’t ask” if she wanted to send anything.
“I don’t think we really wanted to talk totally open about what it was,” Aldrin said in the book. “So it was sort of guarded.” He then said Armstrong straightened out the packet that had some dust on it after landing to Armstrong’s right.
Hansen noted that Armstrong said he would reveal the contents of his package for the biography, but was “unable to find the manifest among his many papers.” All he said was, “in my PPK I had some Apollo 11 medallions, some jewelry for my wife and mother [simply the gold olive branch pin for each], and some things for other people.”
What’s most clear, however, is that Armstrong took pieces of the Wright brothers’ historic flyer with him that he arranged with the U.S. Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The book also noted he took along his college fraternity pin from Purdue, which he later donated to the Phi Delta Theta headquarters in Oxford, Ohio.
Singer said that given Hansen’s conjecture and accounts from Janet Armstrong and Armstrong’s sister, they felt they could take the license to include Karen’s bracelet.
“We felt this responsibility to him and to the accuracy of the story to do this right because some of the things we put in the script were quite provocative,” he explained. “I never would have taken license and made up the bracelet from whole cloth.”
Armstrong died in 2012 due to complications after heart bypass surgery.
“First Man” also stars Claire Foy, Pablo Schreiber, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler and Christopher Abbott, and hits theaters on Friday.
The Evolution of Ryan Gosling: From 'Mickey Mouse Club' to 'First Man' (Photos)
From the start of his career, Ryan Gosling has proven that he's not an actor interested in carving out a niche. His filmography is filled with roles that range from romantic heartthrobs to murderers to political and corporate scumbags and back again.
"The Mickey Mouse Club" (1993)
The Canadian youngster's career began with a recurring role on Disney's 1993 revival of "The Mickey Mouse Club." It was here that Gosling became close friends with fellow castmember Justin Timberlake.
Disney
"Goosebumps" (1996)
Kids' horror was another highlight of Gosling's childhood. He appeared on episodes of "Goosebumps" and "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" that involved a radio station broadcasting from the afterlife and a camera that brought misfortune on those who had their picture taken with it.
Nickelodeon
"Young Hercules" (1998-1999)
Gosling traveled to New Zealand in 1998 to film the kids series "Young Hercules," in which he played the titular son of Zeus during his warrior training. Shortly afterward, he decided to move from TV to film and take on more adult roles.
NBC Universal
"Remember the Titans" (2000)
Child actors sometimes have a hard time transitioning to a successful adult career, but Gosling made the jump with ease thanks to his performance in "Remember The Titans." His previous TV work helped him pick up the role in Disney's family movie, while the film's message on race proved that he could handle more thematically heavy work.
Disney
"The Believer" (2001)
In 2001, Gosling burst onto the independent film scene with "The Believer," in which he played a Jewish neo-Nazi who struggles with self-hatred over his heritage. Critics praised Gosling for his thought-provoking portrayal of the film's almost paradoxical main character.
Fireworks Pictures
"Murder by Numbers" (2002)
A year later in 2002, Gosling got a chance to perform alongside a top star for the first time when he starred in "Murder By Numbers" alongside Sandra Bullock. Gosling played a privileged, sociopathic high school student who tries to commit the perfect murder, while Bullock played the detective assigned to track him down.
Warner Bros.
"The Notebook" (2004)
Gosling then found massive mainstream success in the 2004 romance "The Notebook" alongside Rachel McAdams. The two won an MTV Movie Award for their kiss in the film, which has earned praise for becoming one of the most famous smooching scenes in movie history.
New Line Cinema
"Half Nelson" (2006)
Gosling received his first Oscar nomination for his performance in "Half Nelson" in 2006. He played Dan Dunne, a history teacher who forms a unique relationship with one of his students when Dan is caught snorting cocaine.
ThinkFilm
"The Lovely Bones" (2009)
Gosling was supposed to appear in Peter Jackson's "The Lovely Bones," but was replaced by Mark Wahlberg. Gosling revealed later that he had been removed for gaining too much weight to prepare for the role after it was initially ruled that he was too young for the part.
Paramount Pictures
"Blue Valentine" (2010)
After leaving "The Lovely Bones," Gosling took a three-year hiatus from acting before returning in 2010 with "Blue Valentine." While "The Notebook" was a sweet romance, "Blue Valentine" showed Gosling playing a man in the midst of a chaotic divorce.
The Weinstein Company
"Crazy, Stupid, Love." (2011)
In 2011, Gosling put his acting range on display in three very different roles. First, he played the womanizing Jacob Palmer in the dark romcom "Crazy, Stupid, Love" alongside Steve Carell.
Warner Bros.
"Drive" (2011)
Then Gosling put his minimalist skills on display as an unnamed getaway car driver in the noir crime film "Drive."
FilmDistrict
"The Ides of March" (2011)
Finally, he starred alongside George Clooney as a presidential campaign manager who leaves a dark trail of corruption in "The Ides of March."
Columbia
"Only God Forgives" (2013)
After 2011, however, Gosling fell into a slump with the critics, receiving middling to poor reviews for several years. His most polarizing project was "Only God Forgives," which reportedly received loud jeers when it was screened at Cannes.
The Weinstein Company
"The Big Short" (2015)
Gosling made a big comeback, however, with the Best Picture-nominated film "The Big Short" in 2015. He plays Jared Vennett, a slick bond salesman who decides to profit off the speculative housing market bubble at the cost of the bank he works for.
Paramount
"The Nice Guys" (2016)
Gosling went back to comedy in May 2016 with "The Nice Guys," where he stars alongside Russell Crowe as a jumpy private eye who uncovers a conspiracy alongside his bitter rival.
Warner Bros.
"La La Land" (2016)
In December 2016, Gosling generated major awards attention as a jazz pianist who woos an aspiring actress in Damien Chazelle's modern musical "La La Land." Once again, he displayed remarkable chemistry with his "Crazy, Stupid, Love" co-star Emma Stone.
Lionsgate
"Blade Runner 2049" (2017)
Gosling has often been criticized for being a stoic, reserved actor, but it made him perfect for the part of a replicant in Denis Villeneuve's sequel to the cult classic "Blade Runner." Gosling starred opposite Harrison Ford in the film.
Columbia Pictures Corporation
"First Man" (2018)
Damien Chazelle looked to Gosling again for his followup film "First Man," about the life of Neil Armstrong and his journey to walk on the moon. Gosling's combination of reserved calm and movie star good looks made him a natural choice to play the American hero. Not-so-fun fact: Gosling may have sustained a "mild" concussion while filming.
Universal Pictures
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Canadian actor started out on Disney Channel and then made bold career choices to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars
From the start of his career, Ryan Gosling has proven that he's not an actor interested in carving out a niche. His filmography is filled with roles that range from romantic heartthrobs to murderers to political and corporate scumbags and back again.