Earth ‘Ster David Rysdahl on Arthur’s distrust in Prodigy
Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers of “Observation”, season 1, episode 4 of “Alien: Earth”, which now streams on Hulu.
After Wendy (Sydney Chandler) had fought a Xenomorph and had suffered serious internal damage in the previous episode, episode 4 of “Alien: Earth” immediately plays a role when she wakes up from the sounds of the newly collected aliens of the USCSS maginot that is being experimented. With episode 3 ending when Wendy starts to investigate at Neverland Research Island, the grotesque sounds become stronger in her head, so she collapsed because of the high frequencies.
Since Wendy has a unique opportunity to make direct contact with the alien copies, Prodigy Corporation CEO Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) carries out a test to bring her audio trocessors online with the help of Arthur Sylvia (David Rhysdahl) in the Laboratorium. As a loyal follower of Kavalier and the chief technician for the company, Arthur starts to note that the inhuman treatment of the hybrids progresses, as a result of which the question is asked: are the hybrid bodies used for scientific purposes?
From left to right: Alex Lawther, Sydney Chandler and David Rysdahl
Thanks to Patrick Brown/FX
Rysdahl spoke with Variety About the growing preference of his character for the Lost Boys, the revealing argument between Arthur and his wife Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis) and how his professor inspired the university of Chemistry Arthur’s 70s clothing.
“Observation” immediately follows Wendy to hear the alien specimens for the first time. Arthur is in the room that is forced to satisfy, because Boy Kavalier Wendy lets the aliens re -create through her system. Is this the moment when Arthur starts to question Prodigy Corporation?
I thought of Arthur as if he was in the Manhattan project, and this idea that there were scientists behind the Manhattan project who loved science and liked to be part of it. I absolutely circled that this is the episode where it all changes, because Prodigy Corporation had made this ethical code with very clear guidance. Arthur trusted his wife and the process behind making the hybrids, and then he suddenly starts to feel that he is part of the problem.
Arthur confronts Dame Sylvia about the fact that Wendy communicates directly with the aliens and the rest of the lost boys who are near the unknown specimens. She tells him that their work is towards science and humanity, but Arthur does not agree with that statement. Why do you think Arthur has grown into the children, even though they are technically his experiments?
It surprises him. He continues to say at the start of the show that these children are hybrids and try to distance himself emotionally from them. He always becomes emotional about these children, and so do. For Essie and myself our characters are the pseudo father and mother, and it will be a bit about growing up for them. As a father you start to see how your children do things that surprise you, and start giving you in a way you didn’t think [could]You have the fear that you didn’t think you would have. For me, the metaphor of paternity is part of his journey and the bow of the unknown. They are scientists, but their love and care for these children, and therefore their complicity begins to cause damage, unknowingly disturbing him.
Rysdahl and Essie Davis
Thanks to Patrick Brown/FX
After this conversation Arthur sees himself as the most important parental figure for the lost boys after what they are subject?
There is a lot of cognitive dissonance in Arthur. He looks like where I am with AI and Transhumanism, and his idea in the future where we can download someone’s mind and place them in a robot, shows that we do not know how we will feel if that happens. We can have ethics and ideals, but then the reality of what happens overwhelms him. Arthur consciously would say no, but unknowingly he would say yes to their parental figure.
While Wendy is being experimented, Joe (Alex Lawther) and Arthur are starting to be on the same page about their changing feelings towards Prodigy Corporation as employees. Between the appearance they give each other in the lab while the boy Arthur asks to continue Wendy’s hearing test on the way Joe is treated after his operation, the gears slowly run in their heads.
Arthur sees how much Joe loves his sister, and it reminds him that this is a real person. This is a real brother, and although the scientists have spoken in science [terminology for the hybrids]It affects real people. To be the presence of Joe there, it creates changes in Arthur. He sees how much he loves her and how much he has been influenced. Arthur starts to see this and realizes that Joe would of course feel that way about Wendy. Arthur starts to realize that this company is heartless and I think he is starting to see a lot of it from seeing Joe and starts changing his internal state.
Everyone at Prodigy Corporation has a unique style, from the loose pajama-like clothing from Boy Kavalier to the retro aesthetics of Arthur. How did it come in to help you bring your character to life in Arthur’s wardrobe?
Suttirat [Larlab]Who is the costume designer, and I went back and forth on Arthur’s look, and we had all these images of scientists from the 70s who worked at NASA who had big beards and flower-printed shirts. The inspiration was hippies that love the science of all this. I was actually a chemistry -majoor at the university, and I had a professor of biology with a huge beard, and he was the kind of man who would come to the class and had taken an insect along the way, and would be like “guys, look at this cool bug! We’re going to show him under the microscope!” And he liked it so much. That is a kind of who is Arthur. He loves the work, and that suggests you [as an actor] To put blinkers on the larger ethics of all this.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
