When the first Predator: Badlands trailer debuted earlier this year, fans were quick to spot the film’s major connection to the Alien franchise. A brief shot of Elle Fanning’s character Thia confirmed that she is a synthetic developed by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. As exciting as that reveal was, Thia is just one role Fanning has in the film. She also portrays Tessa, another Weyland-Yutani synthetic. Pulling double duty meant there were times when Fanning was required to act opposite herself for certain scenes. While those sequences end up looking seamless in the final film, they definitely are not easy to shoot, as Fanning can attest.
In an interview with ComicBook to promote the release of Predator: Badlands, Fanning discussed the difficulties of playing multiple characters in the same sequence. “[Director] Dan [Trachtenberg] and I, we really worked to make the characters, really differentiate them and make them quite [distinct]. We wanted to make the most polar opposite as possible,” she said. “There were actors that came in even my stunt girls … they would step in and put the suit on and do kind of over the shoulders and we would read together. So there’s movie magic and movie tricks, but also you had to remember what you did the day before, or how you were going to react because also you don’t know what tape they’re going to use. So it’s very interesting. You have to give a lot of different options for Dan to be able to edit it together because obviously when I am acting as Thea someone else is being Tessa, but then if I played Tessa the day before in that scene I’m like, ‘What am I reacting to? Let me try to remember what I was giving at that moment.’ So yeah, it was so interesting but very rewarding … complicated.”
Predator: Badlands changes up the established franchise formula by featuring a Yautja protagonist for the first time. As he was developing that concept, Trachtenberg realized he didn’t want to include any human characters in the film, making it easier for audiences to connect and relate to main character Dek. Because there aren’t any humans in Badlands, synthetics are going to play a significant role in the story. Marketing materials have established Dek and Thia form an alliance with each other as Dek embarks on a personal journey to prove himself to his tribe. How Tessa factors into the story has largely been kept under wraps, as subsequent Badlands trailers haven’t really played up her role.
Fanning’s tease that the two characters are “polar opposite” could have multiple meanings. That comment could imply they are on opposing sides, as Thia looks to be helping Dek. Tessa may be more of an antagonistic presence, becoming an obstacle in Dek’s path for mysterious purposes. Fanning could also just be suggesting that the two synthetics have differing personalities, which would help audiences keep track of which one is which. Regardless of Tessa’s part in the narrative, it sounds like this was a great acting challenge for Fanning, who certainly has the range to portray multiple, distinct characters in the same movie. It will be interesting to see how the dynamic between the two plays out.
One actor playing two synthetics in the same scene will make fans recall Michael Fassbender’s dual roles in Alien: Covenant as David 8 and Walter One, two synthetics who memorably shared screen time. Based on the marketing materials, Predator: Badlands looks to be embracing the franchise’s action roots (multiple reviews have cited hard-hitting, brutal set pieces), but it’s also an exercise in expanding what’s possible with a Predator film. Nobody should expect Badlands to go heavy on the philosophical and existential questions that defined Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels, but perhaps there will be a small taste of that in Thia and Tessa’s interactions. With AI and evolving technology a prevalent presence in our daily lives, it would arguably be a wasted opportunity if Badlands didn’t touch on those themes in some capacity.
No matter what happens in Badlands, Thia and Tessa represent the next stage in evolution of Weyland-Yutani synthetics. Fanning previously noted that she was inspired by David Jonsson’s performance as synthetic Andy in Alien: Romulus, which gave her “confidence” to put her own stamp on this type of character. Dating back to Ash in the original Alien, synthetics have long been some of the greatest and most fascinating characters in the franchise. Hopefully, Fanning’s two robots can become the latest additions to an ever-growing list.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
The post Predator: Badlands’ Elle Fanning Confirms It’s Not Easy to Play Multiple Characters in One Scene (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.
