Alex Lawther Unpacks That ‘Devastating’ Alien: Earth Decision

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At the heart of the sci-fi series *Alien: Earth* is the story of Wendy, a girl trapped in a perpetual state of childhood. Originally named Marcy, Wendy faced a fatal illness and chose to have her mind transferred into a synthetic body by a company called Prodigy. Now living as a young adult with the mind of a child, she lives on a remote island with other ‘Lost Boys’ – children who will never grow old. Of course, being an *Alien* story, things don’t stay peaceful for long. When a Weyland-Yutani ship crashes, unleashing deadly Xenomorphs, chaos erupts. Amidst the danger, Wendy reconnects with her brother, Hermit, an Army medic who continued to age while she remained frozen in time. While the show features plenty of intense action, the relationship between Wendy and Hermit provides the emotional core of the series.

Hermit’s reunion with his sister is complicated and painful. He still remembers burying the person he believed was her, and now he questions if this woman is truly the sister he once knew. He struggles with whether he can feel the same familial love for her, given their changed circumstances. This tension comes to a head in the episode “Emergence,” where a fight between Wendy and her synthetic allies and Hermit’s military team turns violent. Thinking Nibs, a young girl who carries a stuffed animal, might harm one of his teammates, Hermit shoots her. Wendy is horrified and reacts with an outburst of anger. Hermit, equally shocked by his own actions, immediately drops his weapon. This event breaks something fundamental between the siblings, exposing the deep divisions between them – in their bodies, their minds, and what they’re made of.

I’ve been a fan of Lawther for a while now – he was incredible in that *Black Mirror* episode, “Shut Up and Dance,” and *The End of the Fing World* on Netflix. He recently talked about playing the Hermit, and it sounds like a really interesting role for him. He said it was a nice change to play someone gentle and vulnerable, especially in a world that’s so brutal and strange. He really responded to the character’s internal struggles and having to face some tough moral questions.

Hermit stands out in the show as someone caught between the human characters focused on science and gain, and the artificial beings that confuse and disturb him. This conflict reaches a peak in the latest episode. When you played him, how did you envision his loyalties?

Throughout much of the story, Hermit presents himself as Wendy’s only sensible caretaker and seems to genuinely care for the Lost Boys. However, when he shoots Nibs, he attacks a child – or someone he’s been treating like one. If he sees Wendy as a sister, meaning he recognizes her as an 11-year-old girl, it’s strange that he could then shoot another boy of the same age. This act suggests either he believes it’s acceptable to harm children, or that he doesn’t fully consider the Lost Boys to be human, placing them lower on the scale of intelligent life. Either interpretation is deeply unsettling, and it raises serious questions about how safe Wendy is with him if he’s willing to prioritize others over her.

One of the things that makes the *Alien* series so compelling isn’t just the monsters and action, but the deeper questions it asks about value – what truly matters, and who or what deserves protection. How does *Alien: Earth* explore those themes? Well, there’s a pervasive sense of unease right from the start. The story establishes a future where Earth is dominated by five massive corporations, including one run by a very young CEO. Everything in this world has a price, even seemingly selfless acts. The character Hermit, for example, only cares for his sister as long as she meets his standards – there’s a condition to his care. Their relationship, like so much else in this world, comes with a cost, which is a reflection of how capitalism works – nothing is truly free, and everything operates under certain conditions or agreements.

As a movie fan, what really struck me about Hermit and Boy Kavalier is how they represent totally different approaches to being a brother figure to Wendy. They both genuinely believe they know what’s best for her, or that they’re the only ones who *get* what she needs from a brother. But honestly, neither of them seems to be listening to what *she* actually wants! Boy Kavalier kind of sees Wendy as a project, while Hermit is clearly trying to fill the void left by his deceased sister – which, yeah, she reminds him of, but she’s a whole person beyond that. The core conflict, I think, is Hermit needing to realize that people change as they grow up – sometimes in ways you don’t expect. It really made me think of Maggie Nelson’s *On Freedom*, actually – that book explores similar themes of care and letting go.

I hadn’t realized that. Nelson describes looking at her son and seeing both the baby he once was and the older child he’s become – she calls this “thick time,” and it’s a strange feeling! You recognize the younger version of someone even as they grow and change, and you have to adjust how you treat them. Similarly, Hermit needs to accept the new version of Wendy and not just remember her as the person she was when she was ten, Marcy.

One of the sweetest and most surprising moments in the show is when we learn Hermit and Marcy connected over the movie *Ice Age* as kids. It’s such an unexpected shared memory for them! It got me thinking – if you were in their shoes, what movie or TV show would be something you’d bond over with a sibling?

Speaking of shared experiences, do you remember the show *Sister, Sister*? My sister and I used to sing the theme song all the time. I did a lot of thinking about my own relationship with my sister while preparing for this show. There’s a song in the second episode, “Accentuate the Positive,” sung by a young Hermit (played by Noah’s son) to his sister. These little pieces of the past feel like a yearning for simpler times. Considering Hermit and Marcy won’t have been born yet in 2025, both that song and *Ice Age* would feel very old-fashioned to them – like something from the early 1900s! There’s definitely a sense of nostalgia for a pre-digital world woven into the show. I was born in 1995 and practically grew up with a computer, playing games like *Zoombinis*.

I loved that game.
Great, great educational game.

Even things that felt modern a while ago seem old-fashioned now, especially when you look at games like Roblox. And honestly, I was a big fan of *Sabrina the Teenage Witch*. I even used to dream about being at school and using magic on people!

You’ve made short films and acted in many different kinds of projects. What did working on ‘Alien: Earth’ teach you about filmmaking?

While filming ‘Alien: Earth,’ I was also editing a short film I’d shot just a few months earlier. That short film was made very quickly, in southeast London, with only two actors, and cost about the same as one lunch on the ‘Alien’ set! The contrast was striking. I really admired the detailed set design and skill involved in ‘Alien: Earth,’ but I also loved the close-knit atmosphere of the short film – knowing everyone’s name and celebrating together afterward. I’m grateful to have experienced both ends of the spectrum, seeing both the massive scale of a production like ‘Alien’ and what you can create with a small group of friends. I think there should be more projects that fall somewhere in between those two extremes, offering different levels of resources and creative control.

I’ve been seeing clips of those incredible Xenomorph puppets online, and I have to say, working with them on set must have been something else. There were two main ones – a larger one and a smaller one, nicknamed Mickey, that emerges from the unfortunate Hermit. I definitely felt their presence a few times, let me tell you! Honestly, I was really grateful they *were* real. There’s a certain freedom in reacting to a physical presence, even a puppet, instead of just pretending with a tennis ball. It just makes everything feel more grounded and avoids those awkward moments where you’re not sure what another actor is doing and hoping the special effects can save it in post-production. It keeps everyone on the same page, visually and emotionally, and that’s invaluable.

You’ve worked on projects across many genres – science fiction, fantasy, historical dramas, and more. I’m wondering if you intentionally seek out that variety, or if you’re simply drawn to it.

I don’t really plan my choices that carefully! For me, it all comes down to the quality of the writing. I’m always looking for something truly well-written. It’s interesting that I’ve noticed some overlap in fans between *Alien: Earth* and *Andor*, the *Star Wars* show I did. It’s really validating to be able to compare the two and talk about them together.

The speech Nemik delivers in *Andor* has gained a lot of attention recently, with people connecting its message to real-world issues. Looking back, what are your thoughts on how that speech has been received? I think it’s wonderful that Tony Gilroy used the *Star Wars* franchise to express his political views so directly. He’s tackling the fight against oppressive systems, but presenting it as an exciting sci-fi story – it’s a clever approach. I also genuinely enjoyed working on the show, especially with Diego Luna, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Faye Marsay. We had a great time as a cast, and it’s always rewarding when your work continues to feel relevant.

I have to mention your work in *Masterpiece Theatre’s Howards End* – it’s one of my favorites. I’m a huge fan of the novel itself, especially the message of “Only connect!” That idea really resonates with me, and it’s something I’m carrying forward. I love *Howards End* and everything by E.M. Forster, including *Maurice*.

The epigraph, which is also a quote from the novel, is the guiding principle of Howards End’s central character, Margaret Schlegel, who works to connect the poetry (her inner life) with the prose (her outer life) in order to make sense of the world.

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2025-09-17 16:56