'Alien: Romulus' director Fede Álvarez and stars Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Spike Fearn and Archie Renaux sit down with THR at San Diego Comic-Con to dish all about their new movie. Fede Álvarez compares this new film to Ridley Scott's 'Alien,' the cast talk about their bond off set and more.
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00:00Hey, this is Fede Alvarez. I'm the director of Alien Romulus,
00:03and this is the cast, and this is a Hollywood Reporter.
00:08Who here is scared of horror movies?
00:14Yeah.
00:15Then why in the world would you want to be in one?
00:19I just want to see how the sausage was made.
00:24She wants to see how the sausage was made.
00:31So, Fede, you're scared of horror movies, but you make them anyway.
00:35I'm not scared of my horror movies. I'm scared of other people's horror movies.
00:39But my horror movies are made out of all the things I'm terrified of.
00:43Just like if you're a comedian, you write jokes.
00:45You've got to write jokes that are not funny for you, but are funny for others.
00:48You've got to base them on things you find entertaining.
00:51The same with horror. It's all made of my biggest nightmares.
00:56And then when you decide to tackle an alien movie,
01:00what were the essentials that had to be there?
01:04In your version of an alien movie, what needs to be there?
01:08Clearly, the xenomorph.
01:10It's almost like the story of Alien.
01:13For the first movie, the story is the life cycle of the alien.
01:18It's what keeps it together. It's what keeps you watching.
01:22We knew from the beginning that we were going to have the xenomorph in its more pure form.
01:28Without trying to improve it, without changing it.
01:30It is like the original, but slightly different or modernized.
01:34There are certain things about the movie that we want to have back,
01:38and we want to play it straight.
01:39That's the xenomorph and his life cycle.
01:42There's a lot more things, but that's one of those that we knew for a fact.
01:45You have to have it, otherwise it's not an alien movie.
01:49For the actors, how intense was this shoot?
01:53When you're fighting or dealing with face-huggers and prosthetics,
01:59and maybe creatures?
02:02It was pretty intense.
02:04We did some training beforehand as well.
02:09It was quite full-on. We're crawling through really tight spaces.
02:12We had to prepare for some zero-gravity scenes in which we were on harnesses.
02:17We had to have good core strength for that.
02:19We did a lot of rehearsing with our stunt team on that sort of stuff.
02:24Also, constantly being in that heightened state of emotion and terror from all these xenomorphs.
02:34It's pretty intense.
02:38I was just going to say that as soon as it starts to get a bit like,
02:43in the movie, that's when everyone was like...
02:46We'd jump around on set a lot to try and get the tension there right.
02:50I don't know if that was the right thing to say.
02:53I just wanted to try to go with the microphone.
02:58My other question was, how did you guys unwind after such an intense day?
03:03When you're putting it all out there and potentially dying?
03:06It's a carry-on heat.
03:08Yeah, which gives me trouble.
03:10I've got to tell you a story.
03:12I'm in my 40s. They're in their 20s.
03:14We went to have dinner one night.
03:17After dinner, some of them said,
03:19we should go to your place.
03:21I'm like, sure. I'm 46.
03:23I read that means go to your house, listen to jazz, and drink red wine.
03:27With these kids, it means go to your house, blast music and party,
03:31and they got me evicted out of my apartment.
03:34I wasn't there. I wasn't there.
03:36True story. You were all there.
03:38You need to clickbait. That's the whole story.
03:41That's exactly how it went down.
03:43I had time to chase a man through the streets,
03:46but I stopped you from chasing a man.
03:48That's the problem with making movies.
03:50Young cast, they get you evicted out of your nice apartment.
03:59It was cast bonding.
04:01Also, he's a karaoke fiend.
04:03You couldn't get the mic out of his hands just like right now.
04:07We did a really good duet, you and I.
04:09He's a good musician. He plays a lot of instruments.
04:12He fit right in.
04:14Go on.
04:16More about me.
04:18How did the cast bond?
04:20What kind of exercises did you guys do?
04:24Shotgunning.
04:26I'm kidding.
04:28We were karaokeing every weekend.
04:31I tell the truth.
04:33I've done a few movies with a group of young people.
04:36Usually there's always tensions.
04:38What you see on the screen is not what's happening behind the screen.
04:42There's always some sort of conflict.
04:44It's complicated. Making movies is tough.
04:46It's a lot of people living together for a long time.
04:48This is the first time I really had a cast.
04:50What you see on screen, their dynamics and their friendship
04:52really mirror what was happening outside all the time.
04:55I was blown away by it.
04:57I was so happy to see all of them become friends.
04:59They still do it today. They're still close.
05:01A lot of times, as you guys know,
05:03you see each other, you make the movie, you never see each other ever again.
05:06These guys became friends and stay friends.
05:08For me, it was a testament to the work
05:10and how much they all care equally.
05:12It's a good casting.
05:14A good gauge on what actors to put in the film.
05:17You did a good read on the people that you had.
05:21I think that really translated to the film.
05:23The relationships you see are actually genuine.
05:26I think we also now share this experience
05:31that we'll have for the rest of our lives
05:33in being part of this alien legacy.
05:35This is something that we'll always have
05:37and we've got to share together.
05:39It was so, so special.
05:41I think that's why we all...
05:43Budapest, too. Budapest allowed us to thrive
05:46and have a really fun time off-set and on-set.
05:48The crew there was incredible.
05:50I also have to thank that place
05:52for providing us with such awesome experiences.
05:55Shout out, you guys.
05:57It seems like an awesome camp, almost.
05:59Yeah.
06:01Fede, when you first showed your movie,
06:04whenever there was a cut, to Ridley,
06:07what did he say?
06:09I showed it to him before anybody.
06:11I finished the first cut
06:13and I showed it to Ridley.
06:15I sent it to Ridley and I went to see him.
06:17I wanted to see him right after he finished watching.
06:19He sat down at a table.
06:21I was waiting in the room for quite a bit
06:23and then he shows up.
06:25He was super intimidated.
06:27Not only is Ridley Scott,
06:29that he'll be intimidated for any movie,
06:31but particularly showing him an alien movie.
06:33This is what I think an alien movie is
06:35and he's showing it.
06:37It was terrifying, but thank God he walked in.
06:39He was raising his hands.
06:41What can I say? It's fucking great.
06:43You have a big movie here.
06:45That's why he said you have a big movie.
06:47He really went on about that.
06:49For us making it, it felt very intimate
06:51and we all made it in a very independent way.
06:53For a studio movie,
06:55we made it with a complete independent spirit.
06:57Having seen it that way,
06:59it was great.
07:01Was there anything that the studio said you couldn't do?
07:03What was the bridge too far?
07:05Not really.
07:07Get evicted again?
07:09Don't get evicted again.
07:13There were no limitations
07:15when it comes to what you can and cannot do
07:17when it comes to the violence.
07:19There was
07:21just a different creative path
07:23of where we can go.
07:25There was a good amount
07:27of back and forth between
07:29the studio and myself.
07:31I always
07:33love that.
07:35It's kind of gone in Hollywood lately
07:37because I think maybe streaming
07:39and other places, there's not much pressure
07:41from the studio to the filmmaker.
07:43I think all the best movies ever made
07:45were made between the clash
07:47of two pushes of a studio and a director
07:49that want to make a movie.
07:51The best ones come out of there.
07:53The studio had
07:55a really strong point of view of what the movie needed to be.
07:57It had a really strong point of view.
07:59That's when the best things come out,
08:01I believe.
08:03There was no particular thing.
08:05I think the smoking was the only thing.
08:07Everybody smokes in Alien.
08:09I think they want everybody smoking.
08:11I think that was the only time
08:13the studio was like,
08:15Yeah, I think it was Aileen Wu who played Navarro,
08:17who was the pilot of the ship.
08:19She smoked a lot.
08:21This was her first big movie.
08:23She couldn't be here with us today for very good reasons.
08:25She was incredible.
08:27And a huge smoker in the film.
08:29But not in real life.
08:33Oh, the one gag.
08:35I love that you kept that with him
08:37in the gravity.
08:39Is that the
08:41first time there's a joint being smoked?
08:43In Alien, yeah.
08:45Alien Pot.
08:51So we have,
08:53you guys have seen this, I'm sure.
08:59We have questions in here.
09:07Same studio, it's all good.
09:13Which character
09:15from any film or TV show
09:17would you choose to cosplay as?
09:35What's her name from Blade Runner?
09:39With the amazing hair at the end.
09:43No, from the original.
09:45What's her name at the end?
09:49Daryl Hannah.
09:51Daryl Hannah in Blade Runner.
09:53That's a cool one.
09:55Right?
10:07What's the best moment
10:09in any sci-fi movie
10:11or TV show?
10:13The best moment.
10:15Well, it depends.
10:17It changes all the time.
10:19For me, I've got to say
10:21the DeLorean traveling in time
10:23and hitting that
10:25pine, that twin pine
10:27turned into the lone pine.
10:29In my life, at least,
10:31nothing comes close to that moment.
10:33The DeLorean traveling in time
10:35for the first time and hitting that pine.
10:37Cool.
10:39Oh, man.
10:41Oh, okay.
10:43I'm nervous.
10:45Oh, God.
10:47Please be an easy question.
10:49Oh!
10:51What is this pad thai?
10:53Is this pad thai?
10:55It's noodles.
10:57Y'all put noodles in a...
10:59What?
11:03It's like poorly seasoned spaghetti.
11:09Oh, my God.
11:11Oh, my God.
11:13Oh, my God.
11:15Oh, my God.
11:17Oh, my God.
11:19Oh, my God.
11:21Oh, my God.
11:23Oh, my God.
11:25Oh, my God.
11:27Oh, my God.
11:29Oh, my God.
11:31Oh, my God.
11:33Oh, my God.
11:35Oh, my God.