The limits of the body not being hampered by the limitlessness of the mind is something scientists have been trying to perfect for decades, but for Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant physicists and cosmologists ever, this struggle was more than theoretical, it was happening to him daily. When Hawking was 21, he was diagnosed with a motor neuron disorder which he’s been afflicted with ever since, but that hasn’t stopped him from writing books and giving lectures and generally being regarded as the pinnacle of mental ability.

Hawking’s life and his relationship with his first wife Jane as his disease progressed is at the center of a new film The Theory of Everything directed by James Marsh. Our own Dan Casey sat down with the stars of the film, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, to discuss the inherent physicality of playing Stephen Hawking and the remarkable nature of Jane, the unsung hero of Hawking’s young life.

The Theory of Everything is in select cities now.