As summer 2024 closed out and turned to fall, so did the summer movie box office, but not without one more hit — Fede Àlvarez’s “Alien Romulus.” While it’s possible you weren’t aware of the newest addition to the franchise by name, you may have seen the poster plastered on buses, billboards and more. A buzzed-cut individual in front of a blood-red background, hands clenched around the star of the image, an eight-legged, extraterrestrial creature who’s latched onto their face. The person sharing the poster with our out-of-this-world friend? None other than actress Aileen Wu, who plays steely pilot Navarro in the film.
“Alien Romulus” follows a ragtag group of 20-somethings led by Rain (Cailee Spaeny,) from a desolate, sunless space colony who are determined to make a better life for themselves. The team plans to make their way to planet Yvaga, where opportunity is boundless and the sun shines everyday. One hitch though, the illuminous world is several years away, meaning they’ll need cryostasis chambers, and the only ones not under bureaucratic control are in an abandoned spacecraft just above the atmosphere. Naturally, the crew makes their way to the deserted ship, ready to extract the tickets to their new lives.
Navarro (Wu) is the legs of the operation, piloting the small spaceship that takes the group up to the abandoned station with expertise. She’s also the first character to take one of the aliens, quite literally, head-on.
Character Media sat down with Wu to discuss all things “Alien Romulus,” her reaction to being on the poster and how she interpreted the role of Navarro.
Character Media: What drew you to the role of Navarro and the world of Alien?
Aileen Wu: When I first read the full script, I was very excited by the fact that we have a female pilot at the helm of the ship. She doesn’t talk a whole lot, but she springs everything into action in the sense that they can’t go on this trip without her [since she pilots the ship.]
CM: Were you a fan of the franchise going into this film? Do you have a favorite of the previous Alien movies?
AW: I wasn’t too familiar with the franchise before I booked this role. But once I got the audition notice, I was like, ‘Oh shit, it’s time to do my homework.’ My favorite is gonna have to be “Alien Resurrection.” I just had a lot of fun. And I’m a big sucker for Winona Ryder, that’s probably why.
CM: Yeah. We’re all big suckers for Winona Ryder here. If you’re not, I don’t know how to help you.
In your bio it says you also direct and write. Did you start with a certain creative outlet and why did that particular one stick?
AW: I did a lot of writing and drawing when I was young. Then, when [my family] moved to Canada, I was introduced to the world of theater. My older brother joined our school drama club. Before I even started high school, I remember my mom took me to go see the school play that he was in and that developed a very competitive nature in me.
I wasn’t very good at English yet, so I had a hard time understanding the plot of the play. It was “The Laramie Project.” For anyone who knows [that play,] it’s got quite an intense and sensitive subject. I couldn’t understand what was going on, I just remembered at the end as they were all bowing on the stage, everyone was clapping, and I understood they were clapping for my brother. I was like, “Uh, I need to get some claps as well.”
As soon as I started high school I joined [the drama club,] and that’s how I started acting.
CM: That’s so cool. I love that you said, “I need to get some claps!”
And you did, because you’re in “Alien Romulus.” I heard that you were an NYU grad and then you landed this role, or were you in school when you got it?
AW: I graduated a year before I booked this role. This was actually my first film debut. Before then it was a lot of theater and Shakespeare, which I miss a lot. I hope to find my way back to the stage one day.
CM: Did the stage translate to being on a feature film set? Did you have to adapt?
AW: For sure. From an actor’s point of view, stage acting is so much bigger in scale because you have to aim all your energy to the back of the audience. But, for the screen, [you have to] take all of those emotions and put them all right here [gestures to the camera] since the camera’s so close to your face.
That was tricky for me to adjust to. But, I would say because of the way Fede Àlvarez made everything so tangible with the sets and monsters, the theatrical training in me helped a lot. Especially with Navarro who goes through such violent experiences with the creatures. My training was very focused on being connected with my body and really helped during those scenes.
CM: This is your first feature, which is crazy, because you’re walking onto this multimillion dollar project, and it’s your first time really on a movie set. What was that experience like?
AW: Honestly, I just tried really hard not to freak out the first couple of days.
I remember being on set the first time with Fede, [who was] showing us around the different builds — the ship, the corridors, the hive. And I was just going, “Okay, everything’s really cool. Aileen, stay really calm, be really cool.”
CM: You mentioned having this awesome cast that you were working alongside. You’re in a very dire situation in the film, obviously. But offscreen what were the vibes like?
AW: It was really fun. We hung out a lot. We’re always chatting, sharing music, shooting the shit, filming silly videos and going out for dinner. And it was a really good time. I had a blast with those guys.
CM: What was the most valuable thing that you took away from the filming experience and/or everything that has come after it?
AW: One piece of advice that I found myself continuously getting from crew members and people along the way of this film shoot is “Be yourself.” I feel like it’s cliche and we hear it a lot. But, I think in actuality, in this industry, it’s hard to do.
CM: How surreal have the last few weeks been for you being the star of that huge billboard and movie poster?
AW: The star of the billboard and the poster that’s everywhere is not me. It’s my eight-legged little friend! I’m just the thing that is holding on to, which is a great honor. But yeah, I’m very glad that my parents genes gave me a nicely shaped head. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks and I can’t wait to see where this goes.
CM: I have to ask, what about your parents? Were they like, ‘Oh my god, your head’s on the billboard. Yes!’
AW: [Laughs] No. I have very lowkey, traditional Asian parents. When they saw the scale of the [marketing,] my mom’s first reaction was like, ‘That must have cost a lot of money.’ I think they’re proud, they keep me very grounded.
CM: Yeah. No, you always need that too. But I feel like for some reason, I feel like my parents would also react like, Oh, wow. Like, That must have taken a lot of time, like, for whoever put it up there.
