AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
it's been 45 years since the movie "Alien" landed in theaters. And since then, we've seen space truckers, military brigades, and prison planets face off against the xenomorph. But what we've rarely seen are kids.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM TRAILER, "ALIEN: ROMULUS")
ARCHIE RENAUX: (As Tyler) Is this really where you want to spend the rest of your life?
CAILEE SPAENY: (As Rain) You know I don't.
RENAUX: (As Tyler) Then this is our only ticket out of here.
SPAENY: You meet this young group of teenagers on a mining colony, and Rain has sort of been left on her own. She's lost her parents recently. And she's looking for a way out, and she's left on a planet that is sort of falling apart. And that's when she meets up with her friends, and there's a decommissioned ship to maybe find another life. But as we know in these films...
RASCOE: It doesn't go well (laughter).
SPAENY: ...Not everything goes as planned.
RASCOE: That's Cailee Spaeny, the star of the new movie "Alien: Romulus," directed by Fede Alvarez. After starring in a handful of grounded dramas like "Priscilla" and "Civil War," she's now the lead of the scifi thriller. But starring in an "Alien" movie was not exactly a childhood dream.
SPAENY: You know, I was really bad at watching horror as a young kid.
RASCOE: Oh, wow.
SPAENY: I was very sensitive, but I've heard this story actually a lot, so I'm not the only one, but it tends to happen where Mom's out of the house, and Dad's at home, and he's like, eh, the kids can watch "Aliens." Fine.
RASCOE: (Laughter).
SPAENY: And then we're forever traumatized, especially by that chest burster scene. So that's how I was introduced.
RASCOE: What did you think - because it's so pivotal to the "Alien" franchise, is the idea of this woman hero. I mean, you could say the final girl, which is also a concept in horror, the last survivor. But really, Sigourney Weaver - you know, she's a fighter. Like, what did you want to bring to this character in this kind of long line of just, like, women warriors?
SPAENY: Really, what Sigourney did was so revolutionary in 1979 to play the lead in a horror film and consciously making the decision to sort of push against the cliches was something that we'd never seen before. In a weird way, because of that decision that she made, it sort of opened up the role for me to inject myself into it and not feel like I had to be anything other than myself or who I thought Rain was. So, you know, in the original film, it's space truckers, and these people feel really accessible, and they feel very blue collar. I think because I'm a Southern Midwest girl, I wanted to inject people who I knew from my hometown into this character, and I wanted them to really feel like she was a sort of meat and potatoes Midwest girl.
RASCOE: And do you feel like you bring a different sensibility to acting because you've come up in Springfield, Mo., you weren't, like, spending all your years in LA or New York? Like, does that give you a different sensibility, do you think?
SPAENY: I'm definitely grateful for growing up where I grew up. You know, I think a lot of morals instilled in me, and also the thing that motivated me, a lot of it came from needing to make a living, you know, needing to make money. So I think there is a lot of discipline at a very young age, and I think I've carried that with me, and also remembering where I came from and being grateful for what I have now.
RASCOE: The first major role that you booked was another big scifi film, "Pacific Rim: Uprising." You know, with these big movies and big set pieces and stuff like that, like, is it hard to kind of stay grounded in the acting when there's, like, floating and aliens and...
SPAENY: Well, it was nice to come back to the genre that started it for me. But they were completely different experiences because "Pacific Rim: Uprising" was - there was a lot of green screen, and there was a lot of acting to nothing. I remember one of my first days on set working with John Boyega and where I had to react to giant robots that weren't there. And my brain just didn't know what to do. I got so nervous, and John actually stood on the other side of the camera and did the reactions with me.
(LAUGHTER)
SPAENY: This experience, working on "Alien: Romulus," was completely different because Fede really understands the psychology of horror and really prioritized - anything that could be practical he made practical. So, I don't remember one green screen on set ever. And we shot chronologically, which was also a massive help...
RASCOE: Yeah, oh, yeah, oh, wow, yeah.
SPAENY: ...To us actors. And you know, whenever you get that xenomorph right in your face, there's not much acting you have to do at all.
RASCOE: (Laughter) Well, that was the question. This is the question that my nephew JJ (ph) had because he is, like...
SPAENY: Oh...
RASCOE: ...Is the acting as scary as it looks in the final product, right? Like, 'cause he's like, was it scary to be seeing that alien jumping in your face like that? And you were really seeing the alien jumping in your face.
(LAUGHTER)
SPAENY: Yeah, Fede always tried to have tricks up his sleeve, too.
RASCOE: (Laughter).
SPAENY: I think there were always face-huggers flying out of different directions that we weren't prepared for, or...
RASCOE: Oh, no (laughter).
SPAENY: But also, those creatures are really, like - the amount of artistry that goes into building those creatures and those puppets are really stunning in the detail there. I mean, I'm not spoiling anything because it's in the trailer, but there is a shot I have with the xeno face to face...
RASCOE: Yeah.
SPAENY: ...And it's got goo dripping out of its mouth and the wind is blowing and you've got the goo on your face and the little mouth...
RASCOE: (Laughter).
SPAENY: It's like you don't have to act, you know?
RASCOE: Yeah (laughter).
SPAENY: It's properly disturbing. It's creepy. So...
RASCOE: Yeah.
SPAENY: So, JJ, yes. Yes, it was. It was creepy.
RASCOE: (Laughter) It was creepy. I guess you've been constantly working since you were a teenager, which is really incredible. And because you're still pretty young and you've done all these major movies. You got some big projects coming up like "Knives Out 3" (ph) just that little franchise.
SPAENY: Oh, yeah, that little thing.
RASCOE: Do you feel like you've grown up through your characters?
SPAENY: Oh, yeah. I mean, every time I leave a job, I feel like my characters have taught me something about myself and not just the characters, but the people who I'm surrounded by on set, and I always leave with a friend, you know. And it's always a incredible community. You know, we're all these sort of circus people who pick up our bags and travel around the world and have these funny lives. But really, at the end of the day, we're nerds, you know? We love what we do. And I think every time I get on a job in a set, I find my people, I find my community, which is the thing that I was looking for since I was a young girl.
RASCOE: Well, Cailee, I'm glad that this acting thing has worked out for you. I think we're all benefiting from it (laughter).
SPAENY: Oh. Knock the wood, it keeps going. I'm trying my best.
RASCOE: (Laughter) Yeah. You're doing good. Cailee Spaeny stars in "Alien: Romulus," which is out now. Thank you so much for joining us.
SPAENY: Thanks for taking the time. And thanks for seeing the film. That means so much to me.
(SOUNDBITE OF LELAND WHITTY'S "SILVER RAIN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
