Oliva Munn thinks these stars should stay out of space.
The Newsroom actress pointed out some issues she had with the upcoming star-studded, all-female space flight headed by Blue Origin, the space technology company owned by Jeff Bezos.
“What are they doing?” Olivia, 44, said while guest co-hosting Today With Jenna & Friends April 3. “I know this probably isn’t the cool thing to say, but there are so many other things that are so important in the world right now.”
Blue Origin announced on February 27 that the all-female team—including Bezos’ fiancé, Lauren Sánchez, as well as Katy Perry and Gayle King—would be heading to space on April 14 for around 11 minutes. It will be the first all-woman flight since the Soviet Union’s Valentina Tereshkova’s solo mission in 1963.
Olivia questioned the motives of the mission—which will also include former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, entrepreneur and activist Amanda Nguyen and film producer, Kerianne Flynn—asking, “What are you guys gonna do up in space? What are you doing up there?”
“I know this is probably obnoxious,” she continued, “but like, it’s so much money to go to space, and there’s a lot of people who can’t even afford eggs.”
Olivia, who is married to comedian John Mulaney, continued to question the morality, adding, “This is a lot of resources being spent.”
Ultimately, the Our Friends & Neighbors actress feels the trip is unnecessary.
“What’s the point? Is it historic that you guys are going on a ride? I think it’s a bit gluttonous,” she said. “Space exploration was to further our knowledge and to help mankind. What are they gonna do up there that has made it better for us down here?”
But while the flight was met with mixed reactions when it was announced, Sánchez, who helped to lead to organization of the mission, emphasized why each of the women were chosen.
“All of these women are storytellers in their own right,” she told Elle in an article published April 2. “They’re going to go up to space and be able to spread what they felt in different ways.”
Bowe also noted the importance of showing young girls what is possible for them.
“This representation really matters,” she said. “It’s people seeing themselves and being able to show up authentically in their careers in the future.”
