In a new cover story from VARIETY, “Alien: Earth” creator Noah Hawley and co-stars Sydney Chandler and Timothy Olyphant speak with Chief Correspondent Daniel D’Addario about joining forces to make the “Alien” reboot this year’s most ambitious show. The three discuss the premise for “Alien: Earth,” why Chandler opted out of VARIETY’s cover shoot, and more.
Hawley on the premise for “Alien: Earth”:
“All I tried to do is think one or two steps ahead. Is it realistic to think that billionaires are going to be trillion- aires? The planet is heating up, and the seas are going to rise — it’s going to be a hot, wet planet that we live on.”
Chandler on what it is like leading a franchise known for its feminist icons:
“For my own mental well-being, I had to step away from thinking about those expectations and that pressure that I was putting on myself. People are going to love it, people are going to hate it — that’s how it works. I had to separate myself from that.”
Olyphant on boarding the “Alien: Earth” project:
“It was exciting — it feels like a good fit, but it could be a total disaster. That’s a very exciting place to work from.”
Hawley on the appeal of the uncharted nature of the “Alien” universe:
“There’s surprisingly little mythology across seven movies. It was great to not have to jerry-rig a mythology into what’s existing, but to just start again.” Hawley cites “the three main branches of science fiction — ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Alien’ — you would never confuse one for another.”
Olyphant on the real-world connections of “Alien: Earth”:
The series introduces bleeding-edge concerns about capitalism and the future of an overheated planet.
“No writer of Noah’s caliber isn’t cognizant of the things we’re grappling with. Storytelling, regardless of if it’s futuristic or if it’s historical, is always going to be about the time in which it’s written as much as the time in which it’s set. Noah’s writing about what he sees in front of him.”
Chandler on her sense that Hawley is doing something genuinely new with “Alien: Earth”:
“I loved that Noah did not try and re-create the movie. He was honoring all of the best parts of the film and made his own creation.”
When she first read the script, Chandler responded by doing something a little rash.
“I called my poor agent and explained that I’d like to go to Canada. “‘Do you think I could go knock on Noah’s door?’”
Chandler on why she opted out of VARIETY’s cover shoot:
The day of VARIETY’s scheduled cover shoot, Chandler’s publicist texts that she will not be attending. One day before the shoot, though she had agreed to be photographed, Chandler made it known (through reps) that she wasn’t willing to participate in the kind of video interview. At first, one of Chandler’s reps voiced the actor’s concern about playing a game with “two older men” (in other words, her co-star and showrunner, who are, respectively, 57 and 58). VARIETY offered sample questions, to which Chandler sent a list of ones VARIETY would not ask. After that, she changed her mind and decided a game on video wasn’t something she felt comfortable doing at all.
However, in conversations before the shoot, Chandler was enthusiastic about the show, if clear-eyed about how challenging the production had been. What happened?
“I’m just a private person,” Chandler says in a subsequent phone interview. She says her opting out was simply drawing a firm boundary, not a response to any problem. “I’m new to press — it’s a bit out of my comfort zone. I was more than happy to talk about anything and everything about the show; that’s what I’m here to promote.”
Hawley on Chandler’s absence from the shoot:
“The show is built around Sydney’s character, and the work she did as a professional was tremendous. I’m disappointed that my female-centric show, based on a female-facing franchise, does not have my lead actress on the cover. It felt awkward to be there with Tim without her.”
He tells VARIETY he hasn’t talked to Chandler about her decision.
“I tend to feel like that promotional relationship that everybody has with the Disney Corporation is their own. I don’t have to showrun the publicity.”
[Photo Credit: Evan Mulling for Variety Magazine]
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