Alan Tudyk interview: ‘Resident Alien’

“Basically, when he says things that are in his language, I make noises,” confesses Alan Tudyk about playing an alien on “Resident Alien.” For our recent webchat he continues, “It’s not the best way to go about sci-fi. I get that. People can learn Klingon, it’s a language you can learn. He says his planet’s name and then I will go ‘nah-dk-dk-dee-arch-arch-cri.’” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

In “Resident Alien,” Tudyk plays an alien assuming the identity of a doctor in a small town. He has the mission to destroy all humans on earth, but through meeting the people in the town, he starts to develop attachment for the human race.

Tudyk explains, “he is smarter than everyone about some things. He truly is. But aren’t those the worst people? Also in his childlike qualities, he does take great joy in things. I share that with him. Little things he can be very happy with. Pizza he revels in. It boggles his mind the way that the flavors mix and turn into something else in his mouth. That and pie. Two things I love and they’re both pies. He’s into pie. He does have a lot of the qualities that a child has that are enduring.”

In his career, Tudyk has played a range of eclectic characters. These include fan favorite Hoban Washburne in “Firefly” and K-2SO in “Rouge One: A Star Wars Story.” He has also done voice acting work in every Disney animated feature since he played King Candy in “Wreck-It Ralph.” On what was different about the “Resident Alien” role, the actor reveals, “it’s being new to the human body and working it kind of like a puppet. Learning how to move. Learning how to talk. And then ultimately learning about emotions. To pull apart things that we just take for granted. Somebody mentions a babysitter, and you’re like, ‘they sit on the babies? That’s insane.’ It’s also getting to play with all the physicality. That’s the fun challenge and different for this role.”