This week's issue of Entertainment Weekly includes two new photos from director Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, featuring stars Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. Take a look at the photos below, then read on to see what inspired Christopher Nolan to make this sci-fi adventure.

Christopher Nolan revealed that Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was an enormous influence on his career.

"I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey when it was re-released in England, in the wake of Star Wars' success and the craze for science fiction. I was 7 years old, so I couldn't claim to understand the film. I just felt this extraordinary experience of being taken to another world. It had a larger-than-life quality."

Interstellar star John Lithgow, who plays the father-in-law to Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), one of the men sent on an expedition into space to save our world, revealed that the movie has the perfect balance of story and spectacle.

"It's a thrilling interaction between grand spectacle and intimate, intense relationships. More so than many films of this genre, Chris has found a way to make fantastic drama out of cosmic ideas and human anxieties."

Anne Hathaway also discussed a scene where her harness started to cut off her circulation, although she managed to fight through it.

"I kept telling myself, 'Don't be a wimp, Hathaway!' Chris felt terrible and kept blowing on my neck to cool me down. But I was proud I did not faint and finished the scene, because you never want to disappoint Christopher Nolan."

Christopher Nolan added that he appreciated his cast's work ethic.

"We have spirited actors playing spirited characters who are trying to make the best of a bad situation and doing a rather good job at it."