Stepping into the Alien universe is no small feat. For decades, the franchise has terrified, thrilled, and inspired audiences worldwide. Now, ‘Alien: Earth‘ introduces a fresh set of characters and concepts to the screen, with actors Essie Davis and Erana James at the heart of this high-stakes sci-fi action series.Davis plays a brilliant scientist with dangerous ambitions, while James takes on the role of a synthetic navigating a world threatened by the arrival of an alien. In a candid chat with ETimes, both actresses shared how they immersed themselves in the new saga while also helping lay the foundation for the future of the franchise.When asked about stepping into the world of the Xenomorph, Essie Davis said, “It’s been an honour. It’s been super exciting and lots of fun because we’re with a really lovely group of actors who are all very talented. And the crew have been amazing. It’s actually been a pretty special time.”Unlike the franchise’s fabled characters, this instalment introduces audiences to a new wave of young talents. Essie plays the role of Dame Silvia, a motherly figure to the Lost Boys — a group of synthetics with the consciousness of children but in adult bodies. Sharing her thoughts on these new characters, Essie explained, “These characters are fantastic introductions. My character is one of the highest-ranking scientists in the world of Prodigy. She’s a geneticist and psychologist creating synthetic hybrids — putting the consciousness of a human child into a super-powerful, man-made body. The fact that she’s been able to do that is incredibly powerful.”Further explaining the concept, she added, “The synthetic human hybrids are an amazing idea — they explore both the dream of human immortality and the danger of where artificial intelligence can lead. Synthetics are a wonderful creation that may or may not go the way their creators intended.”Erana plays Curly, a synthetic in the series. Asked whether the show still pays homage to Ridley Scott’s original while branching into new territory, she said, “I’ve heard Noah [Hawley] say that season 1 is almost like a group of concepts, and there’s so much room to grow. What’s established in this first season is huge. There’s a lot of world-building. You really meet the world where it’s at in season 1, and I think there are lots of branches to build from.”The series also introduces Indian actor Adarsh Gourav as one of the synthetics, Sightly. Speaking about working with the Desi breakout talent, Erana shared, “I got to have weeks, and at some point months, of training with him, finding the inner child. We played a lot of music, a lot of instruments, just a lot of play to find that inner child.”When asked if Adarsh introduced them to any Indian sci-fi or alien films, Essie quipped, “No, he didn’t introduce me to any of those! I’m going to have to go have words with him about that!”Opening up about their bond, she continued, “But one of my favourite films ever is Lagaan, so we bonded over that on the first day we met. He actually sang a lot of beautiful Indian music to us. He’s a beautiful singer, a fantastic actor, and a super delightful man. It was really good fun working with Adarsh.”Adarsh Gourav is no stranger to international audiences. He gained global recognition for his performance in the Academy Award-nominated film The White Tiger and has also appeared in acclaimed projects like the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations.
About Alien: Earth
Set in the Alien universe, ‘Alien: Earth’ follows a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers who come face-to-face with the planet’s biggest threat when the space vessel Maginot crash-lands on Earth. With Ridley Scott’s original vision as its foundation, the series expands the lore with new characters, high-stakes drama, and a layered exploration of artificial intelligence.The cast also includes Sydney Chandler as Wendy, Alex Lawther as CJ, Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Babou Ceesay as Morrow, Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, Jonathan Ajayi as Smee, Lily Newmark as Nibs, Kit Young as Tootles, Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Yutani, Adrian Edmondson as Atom Eins and David Rysdahl as Arthur Sylvia. Premiering on August 12, 2025, ‘Alien: Earth’ is an eight-part series episodes airing every Tuesday. The season finale is slated for September 23, 2025.
