When audiences think of the original Alien, they often think about how the crew of the Nostromo was in over their heads from the beginning, as they were commercial haulers in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the upcoming Alien: Earth from Noah Hawley, the first TV series set in the franchise, characters are similarly in over their heads, given that the series introduces the concept of “hybrids,” which are the result of human consciousnesses being transferred into synthetic bodies. One catch, however, is that this group of hybrids has the minds of young children, who not only aren’t entirely aware of their own bodily autonomy, but also have mixed reactions to confronting the franchise’s otherworldly xenomorphs. Alien: Earth heads to FX on August 12th.
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FX describes the series, “In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype named ‘Wendy’ (Sydney Chandler) marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, ‘Wendy’ and
the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.”
In addition to Chandler playing Wendy, Kit Young plays Tootles, Jonathan Ajayi plays Smee, Erana James plays Curly, Lily Newmark plays Nibs, and Adarsh Gourav plays Slightly.
ComicBook caught up with the stars on the set of Alien: Earth to talk their connection to the franchise, what to expect from the series, and more.
ComicBook: Before getting this opportunity, what was your connection to the franchise? And then once you read what the story was actually going to be, what was the most surprising about the story?
Sydney Chandler: I’m a massive fan of the movie. It’s the first film I watched so many times. I used to have nightmares of xenomorphs as a kid, so it’s been really fun actually acting with one now, it’s terrifying. Reading the script, I was so excited just hearing that it was Noah taking this on. Because that movie stands alone, it will always stand alone, and I felt the same with Fargo. He was able to take the essence of Fargo and make something completely original but honor it, and that’s my hope that this project does the same.
And then, I mean, a big surprise is the kids. The kid aspect … we’re playing children in our own bodies, and the experience of preparing for a role like this makes you dive into your own inner child. It’s been really healing and really beautiful and empowering to do, and to take on a character who I look up to is really, really fun. It’s taught me a lot. She’s given me a lot of bravery and strength throughout this process. I almost feel like she’s been holding my hand, which is a weird feeling … She’s been my roommate for a long time now.
Kit Young: The franchise has existed longer than I have, so I’d say I was late to the party, right? But also, I didn’t think I really, really watched them and engaged with them until I was in my mid-teens, which was probably a good thing. I remember watching Aliens first. I think the action movie intro made more sense to me than a true horror, but then I think I was probably confused, because I definitely had missed something.
I was the perfect age for when Prometheus came out, and seeing also how different some of those movies can be. The franchise is so large. What, it’s on its 99th movie now? But I’ve loved them. I’ve really, really loved them, but I’ve not ever really seen myself in it. I’ve been very relieved to be watching it and not running down the corridors trying to survive, but I guess it’s my turn. I’ve got an attachment to it that means that I can look at it and be excited about it, but I’m not so consumed by my fear that I can’t do my job.
Jonathan Ajayi: Growing up, I grew up in a time where it was Alien vs. Predator, those movies. So that’s like, oh man, you’re running around a playground as a ten-year-old, pretending to be Predator, pretending to be a xeno, and fighting each other. That was as far as it went for me. Getting this offer through, I was like, “Wait, no way,” because it’s such a massive cultural part of cinema, it’s one of those films I assumed I’d watched all my life.
I really sat down to watch it. I was like, “No way.” First of all, the notion of not saving the cat, which is like the writing of the book, comes from that, I imagine. But not just seeing how amazing those effects are, and actually finding out actors I’d never heard of before, like Yaphet Kotto, who is so brilliant. I think the thing that really impressed me about the Alien movies is, in the first instant, really, what they were able to achieve by the time they made it, and how practical a lot of the visual effects were, and how grounded and understated those performances really, really were.
You’d assume that sci-fi, there’d be room for it, or that maybe the acting wouldn’t be such a high priority, but especially in that first film, those performances are wicked. Then going into the series, that really set a precedent and a benchmark for me, where I was like, “I don’t want to negate the humanity of the story for the spectacle of it.” What Alien does so brilliantly, the movie, and actually what is so brilliant working on this show with the cast that I’m working with, and the crew, is that we really are finding the marriage between the spectacle and the humanity, even those of us who aren’t native aliens.
Adarsh Gourav: I’ll be really honest with you, I haven’t watched a ton of sci-fi movies in my life. I was obviously aware of Alien and I was aware of how big a franchise it is, but I had not seen it. Probably I’d seen it when I was a child, but I had no memory of it. So when I was auditioning for it, I really had no reference. I was just trying to stay true to the sides that were given to me. Once I got the part, I went back and I watched the film and I was like, “Holy sh-t. This is what I’m going to be part of? That’s insane.”
Now that I am on a sci-fi set, I feel like every day is like being in Disneyland for me, because it’s so crazy to be actually seeing these sets being created in front of you. I feel like, unlike a lot of films that have relied a lot on CGI and VFX, I’m sure they’re using a lot of VFX in this as well, there’s also so much of it that’s actually being created, which is so amazing because you can actually touch it and feel it and feel the texture of things. It helps you so much. Because when you’re in a spaceship, you don’t have to imagine that it’s a spaceship. You actually see the spaceship. So you bring all people together and have the same perspective. I feel like when you can touch things and when things become tangible, it really affects you deeply.
Erana James: I, admittedly, hadn’t seen the films. I was born in 1999, if that lets me off in any way. When I saw the audition for this, it was when I first entered into the Alien universe and watched the films. I would like to be able to sit here and say that I was a big fan beforehand.
What was that experience like for you after actually getting the gig, knowing what the story was, and then going back and being like, “There’s a lot of people running around and screaming in spaceships for two hours,”?
James: Look, when I met with Noah, and I think he’s talked about this, he said that what he’s trying to do is make something that is reminiscent of how people felt when they watched the movies. I know that he’s said that. When I did watch them, I think that was something that I held on. I was like, “How is this making me feel?” It’s so specific, I completely know what he means, because I haven’t had a film make me feel like that in particular. The tension in the air when you’re watching it is so intense, and so I understood what he meant in that way. I was like, “Okay, I see. There’s a specific feeling that he’s looking for. There are performance notes in this and that.” These aren’t things that I’m going to be taking from this film, so I can defer to him for that, but that was helpful.
What can you tell us about Slightly?
Gourav: The backstory that I created in conversation with Noah and [producer] Dana [Gonzales] was that his father goes to jail. So, in Episode 1, he talks about his father’s funeral, but the way I imagined it, in my backstory, was that his last interaction with his father was when he was in jail, so, it was all through video call.
Because of the issues that his father was dealing with, I just sensed that his mother would be so busy being the caretaker and the caregiver to the father that he got ignored as a child. I feel like he’s had a very traumatic childhood, and now he’s here. I feel like his entire arc then becomes about doing the right thing. I feel like those are the values that he inherits from his mother, where his mother would have constantly been like, “Your father was a nice guy, but at the end of the day, he did something bad for which he’s going to jail.” Try to do good in your life and let goodness overall conduct your behavior in life, which is what Slightly tries to do at every stage.
How did you feel your character’s complicated connection with a father figure, how does that motivate how you connect with other characters in the series? Do you feel like you’re always looking for new father figures or trying to establish being almost a father figure or role model to other characters on the show?
Gourav: It’s interesting you ask me that because I feel like in [Babou Ceesay’s] Morrow, he finds a father because I feel like he’s not had an older male presence in his life that actually cares for him or that’s actually spent time with him. When Morrow does that, he feels very good about it, which is why I also feel like he agrees to help Morrow out. Because, of course, there’s an element of that being a stranger and he does these weird things where he downloads all the data and it’s very scary for him, but also he’s nice to me, he’s kind to me, and he wants to be my friend. I think that because he misses that father figure element in his life, in his personal life, he could so easily trust Morrow.
You’re playing a character inside a character inside another body. There are all these layers to the emotional, mental preparation that you’re doing. There’s also the physical aspect of being a badass that’s running and jumping and fighting. What was more difficult? That mental, emotional preparation or just the physical stunt training?
Chandler: I love stunt training so much. I’m the nerd who always has my yoga mat on set. We did a week of night shoots. It’s like 4:30 in the morning, we’re sprinting and going crazy. I just love that aspect of this job. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, as well, but both have been incredibly fun.
As layered and intense as you just described her character, what I really boiled it down to is the subtle attributes of a kid. They’re extremely honest, extremely open, extremely brave, and extremely adaptive, so diving into those colors amongst everything else is my way in, and holding hands with my own inner child, going, “Hey, haven’t chatted for a while, what do you think of these scripts?” So that’s been a really beautiful journey for me personally, too.
What are the biggest challenges Nibs is facing in the series and what is it that is making her so wary of her newfound situation?
Lily Newmark: She certainly has more of an emotional struggle with her newfound reality than the others, and, obviously, the physicality is a challenge. Everyone has woken up in adult bodies, but as the story unfolds and more information is given to her, it only makes her question herself and her creators. There’s the gap in which there was a marginal amount of trust before, it just grows larger and larger. Sorry if that’s so cryptic.
The Alien franchise, there’s a lot of running and screaming. A lot of dripping monsters. What surprised you about the actual scripts that were completely different from what you thought an Alien TV show would be?
Newmark: Well, what I found refreshing is the humor, especially with the “Lost Boys.” Because we are children, we do find the light in very dark situations, and we don’t realize, I suppose, that we’re being humorous, as children don’t, oftentimes. I think the fact that there can be a jovial nature to the characters in a very scary environment, that was a surprise.
Young: I think with it being set on Earth, because we see different planets, we see some of Earth in some of the movies, but basically, not to degrade an entire film franchise, but most of it is people trapped on a spaceship with an alien, whereas this is, “Well, what if it was on Earth?” It immediately opens all the doors, because if an alien gets released into our home, everybody’s screwed, and whose fault is that?
I think accountability is a big thing. I think what it means to grow up is a big thing in this. Corporations being the new government is … It’s stuff that people talk to you about on Twitter. I think once you set it on Earth and it’s not about being in space — space is a part of the show, but I think that really opens all the doors in terms of where the show can go. And with it being a show instead of it being a movie, there’s more stories you can tell, and it could go on for quite some time, assuming people watch.
As a fan, was there even part of you that was maybe even apprehensive getting too far away from what we love about Alien and Aliens?
Young: Well, that’s the thing. It’s also about, what do you love about Alien and Aliens?Because so many people have different … I think basically everybody can agree that the first two are flawless. I think that was really … that’s our focus. The same aesthetic, the same ’70s futurism. We can’t keep updating what our version of this is in the future, because Prometheus‘s version of that is very different from Alien. So I think sticking to the roots of the original, sticking with what Ridley Scott was trying to do with that movie, I think that’s actually one of the most reassuring things.
Because if they said, “We’re doing a TV show that’s based off of when they brought Ripley out of time hundreds of years to work with these pirates,” I’d be like, “What? Is that the one you want to do? For Season 1?” So to go, really, to those first two movies and take inspiration from those and connect it to those films is very reassuring, but also it means that I can just do my job because I can just trust that everybody else knows what’s going on. I’m also playing a character who doesn’t know what’s going on. So … Convenient. Normally, I have to play guys that know everything and I don’t know anything, but this time it’s easy.
When you saw and learned more about Nibs, did you realize what it was that was so intrinsic to your own personality to bring Nibs to life?
Newmark: I’m still trying to figure that out, because it’s a compliment, but also she’s incredibly neurotic. She’s incredibly fragile. I am both those things. I’m very aware I’m both those things, and she also has a secret strength within her that she’s unaware of, which I think I can relate to as well. But just being so terrified of the world and your place in it, I think it’s something that is just on the surface for me all the time.
Other than not knowing anything about where you are or why you’re there, what else about your character really excited you to immerse yourself in this world?
Young: When I got offered the job, as much as they weren’t telling you anything, they didn’t want to tell me anything, either. I had to go on hearsay. Once I realized who the character was and what the place was within the story, I got really excited because I was like, I’m part of a group where we’re the innocents and we’re kids and nobody really … We just shouldn’t be there. We just should not be there. It would be the same as if you went, “Let’s take a three-year-old and throw them into the middle of Braveheart.” Not a great idea, but dramatically, very interesting to watch, let’s see where this goes. I think it’s a bit of that.
It’s these kids who are curious and don’t know that they’re in danger and discover that the hard way. You see something scary at the end of a corridor, instinctively, you might want to get out of there, but a kid might respond differently from an adult human or a synth. I think that in itself is just all these different avenues of how people could react to this thing. Because that’s what we do as fans. We go, “Well, who would I be? What would I do in that situation? I’d punch the xeno in the face. I’d be fine. No, you wouldn’t, bro. You wouldn’t be okay.” But with these kids, they might literally think they can do that.
Ajayi: I think [my character] really cares about the people that he’s surrounded by and I think he’s afraid of loneliness. I think we all are — you get older and you go into loneliness, boredom, that stuff, but the way he deals with it, it’s in the way that he deals with his negative feelings, that’s where we deviate. My negative feelings, I take them head-on. In a conversation with a mate or with a pint with a mate or just a walk, go take myself on a long walk by the Thames in London, just sink in, but he just — the consequences don’t quite compute for him unless there’s a childish naivety there. There’s also an “always look on the bright side of life”-type vibe that he has, he really does accentuate the positive as a person, it’s actually really admirable, he’s teaching me a lot.
James: Curly is very headstrong, knows herself kind of person. I think that was something that I really loved about her. Ensemble work is something that I also really love. It’s just so fun to be able to play this entire mix in a room, but I think Curly specifically, she’s just eager to prove herself. She’s just eager to get out there. She gets her elbows out. She’s keen to move through and prove herself to people, and I think that attitude is fun. Entering a room and standing there with your feet on the ground, that feeling. That was exciting.
What was it like embracing more of having to convey a rudimentary, primal, almost an infantile mindset in the body of an adult?
Young: It’s pretty interesting, because a lot of it is in the scripts and the mannerisms. On some level, your impulses are the same. You never change. It’s just that you learn to check your impulses. I’ve decided consciously that I’m not going to pick my nose in public, whereas a kid will just do that. It might be just as they’re about to get attacked by an alien, and it’s also in the words. It might just be saying something that’s a bit naive, and you think that’s a fact, but you’ve just read that. You don’t actually know what you’re talking about. It’s those things that are our clues.
The way Sigourney Weaver was an icon to so many fans, I can already tell how important you’re going to be for audiences. Especially portraying that kid-like wonder, so many kids who are watching younger than they should be watching it, you’re going to be such a hero to them, so inspirational to them. Is that something you think about on set or are you trying to get through the day?
Chandler: I really don’t try to think about the end result. When I’m working, I try and just welcome anything and everything that comes my way to serve the moment, to be as honest as I can and then let it go, and let it be. I think if you start thinking about the end result of what can become or what could be, that’s not why I do this. I just want to go and play pretend with some incredible actors that I get to work with. If my work can touch one person and make them feel a little less alone, I’ve done my job. That’s literally all I want to do. Everything else is just extra. I try not to think about that.
After bringing your character to life, how do you think playing them has impacted you?
Ajayi: To embrace the lightness, to really embrace lightness, and I think that’s a massive part of the show. I was thinking for a while about why children develop bodies, like, why? You look at the world that we live in at the minute, such a technological generation of children are being raised, children that don’t play outside, but also such a socially conscious generation of children coming out, and yes, whilst these things are good and amazing, there’s a lot of pressure, mental pressure that children have, and it’s worrying. It’s a shame to see. You wouldn’t run outside, eat a worm, and throw stones at each other, and fall off their bikes, but I think this show puts that freedom that children have back into the mix, within such an intense context.
James: I take away from her, and actors do, a lot of what my character experiences in this. She’s just simply full of gratitude for the experience and for the opportunity that she’s been given. I felt that reflected in my own experience as a human. It’s just that full circle of gratitude to be on this. I don’t know about the morality of the AI and all that stuff, so I felt a big connection.
Is there a favorite episode that you have, without necessarily revealing why?
Chandler: Well, that’s hard because we haven’t filmed everything, and so, no, I don’t. I love the journey, though. Every episode brings a complete, new color to this piece, and they build on each other in really beautiful ways, so they all stand alone, I should say.
Young: For me, Episode 6 will be a really, really exciting one. I haven’t got there yet, and I’m buzzing.
Ajayi: There’s so many. There’s a lot of really sweet moments here and you get to watch this kid learn to grow up through some of the circumstances that he and his friends find themselves in. I’m just really excited to walk that journey, I can’t really say specifically, because that scene is very, very good, it’s amazing, but no, I’m just really inspired by the journey that he goes on.
Gourav: I think the final two episodes are when everything ties in together and all the heavy action happens, but I’ve had a bunch of different favorite scenes. There’s one favorite scene that always cracks me up where the team is wrecking the spaceship for survivors and then they hear this loud music. They’re like, “Where’s this music coming from?” And then they knock on this door and this guy who’s dressed as a French lordship opens the door and they’re stunned. They’re like, “What are you doing here? There’s a spaceship that’s crashed into your building. Get out!” And he’s like, “Well, if it was anything serious, I’m sure [Boy Kavalier] would have told me, because we go to the same club. And anyway, the Caspians are here.” And they’re like, “We don’t care about the Caspians, man. Get out of here. Save yourselves.”
I feel like just to subvert that situation through comedy where there’s these bunch of really rich people living in that building who have no idea that a spaceship has crashed. They don’t care, and they just want to have a party. It’s so funny, man, because there’s people that’s dying but there’s also a party that’s happening and that needs to continue.
Alien: Earth premieres on FX on August 12th.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or Instagram.
Stay tuned for more of our Alien: Earth coverage, including exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, by heading here.
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