With Predator: Badlands currently dominating the box office at $40 million, setting a record for the franchise, fans are particularly loving the direct connection to the Alien universe (in a more thought-out way than just Alien vs Predator).
Elle Fanning has recently opened up about playing not one but TWO opposing Weyland-Yutani synthetic characters, Thia and Tessa, in the film – via an interview with ComicBook. It sounds like getting the scenes where her characters were going against each other in the same scene took some serious work! (And trust in director Dan Trachtenberg, too)
[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.
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.
I for one really appreciate insights like these, because otherwise I’ll just watch the film, enjoy it and not fully appreciate the amount of work that’s truly gone in. Fanning truly excelled in both roles, although the character Thia was a real stand-out for me; a synthetic who’s constantly optimistic, curious and full of empathy.
Another reason the film is doing so well at the box office is Trachtenberg’s decision to focus on a Yautja protagonist and have absolutely zero human characters; not something we’ve really seen before, so it’s about sodding time! Thia proves to be an excellent supporting character, with Tessa as the antagonist.
Overall, it’s such a fun film with various unexpected elements that, when it all comes together, proves to be a winning formula. Fanning’s acting chops play a huge part in that!
Have you seen Predator: Badlands yet – and if not, what are you waiting for? Comment below to start the conversation, yo.
