“I’ve never done it before” - Alien: Earth creator Noah Hawley opens up about making his acting debut with the show

Alien: Earth is the latest addition to the hit sci-fi horror franchise. The FX show serves as a prequel to the film series and revolves around a young woman, Wendy, and her team of soldiers who come across a spaceship that has crashed on Earth.

The series features a stellar cast, including Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, and Alex Lawther. However, that is not all. Series creator Noah Hawley is also set to make his acting debut on the show with a minor role.

Noah is going to play Wendy’s father, and will be joined by his real-life son, Liv, who will play his on-screen son. The series creator talked about his role in Alien: Earth in an interview with Deadline, and said:

“I mean, I’ve never done it before. It was not my goal.”

Noah Hawley reveals why he is making his acting debut with Alien: Earth

During the interview, Noah Hawley revealed that the idea of him appearing in the show arose when his 12-year-old son asked him if he, too, could play a part in it. He then decided to cast his son as young CJ "Hermit", the adult version of whom is played by Alex Lawther. Noah said:

“I have this maxim where I always talk about trying to combine maximum creativity with maximum efficiency. My son asked if there was a role for him, and I thought, ‘Well, he’s not right for any of the Lost Boys.’ But I wanted to see this brother-sister relationship in a flashback. I wasn’t going to write scenes for it because I wanted the emotional feeling of it.”

Since the show marked Liv’s first acting gig, Noah felt it would be better if he shared screen space with him instead of casting someone else as his father. He thought he could make his son comfortable during the scene and direct him better this way. Noah stated:

“I thought, ‘Okay, well, he could play Alex at a young age, but then what am I going to do?’ Cast some day players to come in, when [Lev] has never acted before? I figured it would be easier if I did it. I get down on the floor with him and improvise, and I can make him relax. It felt like the best way to direct him.”

Alien: Earth follows Wendy, played by Sydney Chandler, a hybrid whose human consciousness has been transferred into a synthetic body. CJ "Hermit” is her brother and a human soldier. Noah will play Wendy’s father in a flashback sequence, and Liv will portray her brother. Talking about how he felt playing the father of the lead in a show that he has created, Noah said:

“There’s something nice and metaphorical about being my lead actor’s parent. Like, I’m the dad… Don’t look out for a lot of me in the show. I was trying to create an emotion and something that really felt lived in and authentic.”

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Alien: Earth also stars Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh, Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, Essie Davis as Dame Silvia, Kit Young as Tootles, Babou Ceesay as Morrow, David Rysdahl as Arthur, and Jonathan Ajayi as Smee.

Alien: Earth is going to premiere on FX on Hulu on August 12, 2025.

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