Steven Spielberg Accidentally Sent Josh O'Connor a Text Message Meant for Wife Kate Capshaw While Filming “Disclosure Day”
Steven Spielberg Accidentally Sent Josh O'Connor a Text Message Meant for Wife Kate Capshaw While Filming “Disclosure Day”
Tommy McArdleThu, April 30, 2026 at 5:31 PM UTC
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Steven Spielberg; Josh O'Connor; and Kate CapshawCredit: Kevin Winter/Getty; Kevin Winter/Getty; Frazer Harrison/Getty -
Josh O'Connor said in a new interview that Steven Spielberg texted him what he presumed was acting advice during the making of Disclosure Day
The message, however, was actually a simple communication meant for the director's wife, Kate Capshaw
O'Connor costars with Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo in Disclosure Day, in theaters June 12
Steven Spielberg gave Josh O'Connor a great anecdote to share after accidentally texting the actor a message meant for his wife, Kate Capshaw, one night during the production of their new movie.
O'Connor, 35, leads Spielberg's new science fiction movie, Disclosure Day, which hits theaters June 12. The actor told the in an interview published Wednesday, April 29 that he has, "in my opinion, the greatest Steven Spielberg story" to share with reporters, when asked to share something about his experience working with the legendary filmmaker.
"When it happened, I was sort of like punching the air for this very reason, knowing that when it comes to doing press for this film, I can tell the story," O'Connor said. "Which is that I was halfway through the shoot and we had a scene coming up, which is quite an emotional scene and I was struggling with it. I was in my hotel room trying to prep it, as Steven does so brilliantly, and it's extraordinary he's so available to talk about these things."
Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg on Oct. 11, 2025Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
O'Connor said that he and Spielberg, 79, discussed the scene and how it should play in the movie that day. "I felt quite satisfied, but not completely with it. And then I got a text from him quite late at night, just saying, 'The door is on the latch, just push,' " he continued. "And it made so much sense. I was like, 'Of course.' The character's kind of got all this emotion, it's built up and it's like a door on the latch and you just push and it all comes out and it's an emotional release. I was so thrilled with that note and I came in the next day and said, 'Steven, you totally unlocked it for me, that was amazing.' And he was like, 'What are you talking about?' "
When O'Connor told Spielberg he found the text message the director sent helped him with his preparation for the scene, he recalled that Spielberg simply "laughed and said that that text was supposed to be for his wife."
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"It became a very big joke for all of us. But it did unlock the scene for me, so, fair play," the actor added.
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Josh O'Connor in 'Disclosure Day'Credit: Niko Tavernise/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
Spielberg has been married to Capshaw, 72, since 1991. The couple share four adult children together — Sasha, Sawyer, Mikaela and Destry — in addition to Kate's own children, Kate and Theo, whom Spielberg considers himself a father to as well. The iconic director stated during a panel conversation at the 2026 SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin in March that he feels his directing career has "taken second position to my parenting" and his life with family in the last 20 years. (Even so, Spielberg has directed 13 movies since 2005, including Disclosure Day.)
O'Connor costars in Disclosure Day with Emily Blunt, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson and Colman Domingo, among others. While not much information about the movie has been made available prior to its release on June 12, the movie appears to follow O'Connor's character as he gains information about the existence of alien life on Earth.
According to the AP, O'Connor portrays a cybersecurity expert, Daniel, who has a "mysterious connection" with Blunt's character, a meteorologist. "Daniel's got some special powers. I'm resistant to saying that because I think it sort of overplays him in some ways," O'Connor told the outlet. "He and Emily's character have this special bond between them and they're not even aware of it. And the film really is pulling these two characters together. That's sort of like the drive for these two, even if they're unaware of it for half the movie."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
