Sandra Bullock was ‘so scared’ working opposite of her talented co-stars in <i>The Unforgivable</i>

The last time Sandra Bullock worked with Netflix in “Bird Box” the film became a global phenomenon. Three years later they are hoping to have the same success with the upcoming film The Unforgivable, in theaters Nov. 24 and available to stream on Netflix December 10th. The streaming platform released the first look of the film on Wednesday with an image of Bullock as ex-convict “Ruth Slater.” The captivating photo shows a bare face hardened Bullock staring at herself in what looks like a prison mirror. “My character is someone who has been incarcerated for 20 years for a pretty heinous crime [and] gets out,” Sandra told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Wednesday. Bullock explained, “There are several people whose lives she affected by this crime she committed, and there’s a lot of hatred and anger and bitterness and sorrow associated with her release.”

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While many would consider Bullock one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood, the Academy Award winner admitted in her interview with EW she was incredibly nervous working opposite of her talented co-stars like Jon Bernthal, Vincent D’Onofrio, Viola Davis, Richard Thomas, Linda Emond, Aisling Franciosi, and Rob Morgan. “I don’t care where you think you are on the level of talent on your acting scale, if you place yourself opposite those who are far better than you, they will only elevate you. I was so scared. I was basically making a silent film for my character, and I was like, ‘If I fail with my emotional inner life, we’ve lost the storytelling.’ But I would get opposite these tremendous human beings and you just go ’thank you‘ to be opposite talent like that. Everybody dreams about it. And then here we had it,” she explained.

As for her ex-convict persona that works with wood and nails in several scenes as a carpenter she said her dad armed her with the proper skill set when she was growing up. “My dad pretty much raised me as the son he wished I was,” Bullock said. “He restored homes and would always drag me into the homes he was restoring, so I have a big comfort level when it comes to that world.” Production had to stop her from getting too confident though, “They did not want me getting close to the band saw. I‘d go, ’I know what I’m doing!’ Then I‘d have to stop and question myself — ‘I haven’t used a band saw since I was a teenager, so maybe you should show me how to use it real quick,” Bullock said.

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The films director is up and coming German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt. She told EW, “I would love that they maybe reconsider their judgment of people who are outside the society, people who are massively disadvantaged because of their past.” “I think it‘s worth sometimes taking a second look. It’s not so easy to reenter society. You might change in prison after 20 years quite a lot, but for the majority out there you‘re still a prisoner and you will live with that forever. It’s really worth looking into details and giving people second chances. That is what I was thinking about a lot,” she added.

The Unforgivable also stars Emma Nelson, Will Pullen, and Thomas Guiry and was written by Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, and Courtenay Miles. Bullock produced the project along with Graham King, and Veronica Ferres.