Put Ryan Gosling and an alien puppet in a spaceship, and you get sheer joy. That's the best way to sum up *Project Hail Mary*, a good chunk of whose runtime is a two-hander between biologist Ryland Grace (Gosling) and an alien named Rocky (voiced by James Ortiz). In addition to voicing Rocky, Ortiz also served as the creature's lead puppeteer, helming the crew that brought the endearing Eridian to life. SEE ALSO: 'Project Hail Mary's ending makes one big change from the book. Here's why. The final version of Rocky audiences see on screen is a marriage of practical puppeteering and animated effects, but *Project Hail Mary *directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller knew they needed that practical base in order to truly sell Grace and Rocky's friendship. "It's so important for that core relationship in the movie for Ryan to have a scene partner and someone with whom to bounce things off of," Lord told Mashable in a joint video interview with Miller.…