James Ortiz is an American puppet designer, puppeteer, and actor who won an Obie Award for puppet design for The Woodsman, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Puppet Design for the 2022 Broadway revival of The Skin of Our Teeth. He also received a Drama Desk nomination for his creation of "Milky White" and other puppetry work in the 2023 Broadway Revival of Into the Woods. Most recently, James brought the character of "Rocky" to life in the film adaptation of the beloved book, Project Hail Mary. In this episode, James discusses the challenges and triumphs of working on his first film, how his theater background served the scenes of improvisation on set, and how the play War Horse transformed the use of puppetry in live theater.