Leading from
Alien:Earth: Sandra Yi Sencindiver plays Yutani the younger
(Still collating)
a) A scene with Samuel Blenkin
There was a big scene in episode six, an unusually long scene, almost like a little theatre piece with a lot of dialogue, and she is playing opposite Samuel Blenkin, who she found absolutely brilliant – what he does with that character was just absolutely amazing to her, to such a degree that she also felt a little anxious about having to go toe to toe with this man who is so brilliant, and his character is such a smart ass.
b) Hot day in May in Bangkok
But they have to be equal in the scene, it has to be some kind of fight or else this fight won’t be exciting for the audience to see. So, this is the biggest scene she has in the whole season going up against them. They were at a location they had chosen, a musicals conservatory in Bangkok. They were shooting, she thought it must have been in May, and it was extremely hot in Bangkok in May. It was a beautiful space, but they were not dressed for summer
c) Too many layers of clothes
She had thick silk, three layers of coat, a huge wig. She wasn’t someone who sweated that much, she was actually ablebto cope well in hot weather, but this was a lot, and because they were shooting and the scene is so dialogue-based, they have to turn off the air condition. So, it got profusely hot. It was just so hard shooting 8 or 10 hours in that heat, and even though she knew this dialogue to the bone, when it was like midday, she would forget lines because she was so hot and sweaty. It was a very challenging day, but also a lot of fun. They were fed a lot of ice cream that day
d) Interacting Samuel Blenkin who plays Boy K
She found it to be so natural, her interaction with Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier to be natural,
because she only joined the cast in the last part of shooting, so they had been going on before the strike. Some of them had been attached for two years. She was only a part of the cast in the last three months, and they flew her in early, because there were a lot of makeup and hair and costume tests for Yutani, because they wanted her to have an exquisite look, and really wanted to find the exact look for her.
So, she had some time in Bangkok before she even started shooting or rehearsing, and she went to the set to see, because she had many questions about the production such as , "What's the tone? what are we doing? What's new, what's old?" because she had only her own scene.
So, she went to set a couple of times, and then she had the the fortune to experience Sam work, and she was just so impressed with this obnoxious character he had created.
And, like Babou Ceesay who played Morrow, Sam Blenkin is a very, very different person from his character, and she just loved any actor who's able to transform in such a way.
Sam was just so equilibristic. He just enjoyed his craft, and also felt a little intimidated.
Her response was near enough, "God, I really gotta bring it, because we want a proper fight. We don't want to know who's going to win this fight. We want these two to be equal, and not know who's going to win this battle."
So, it really made her think she had to bring it, especially in that big scene where they have a face off.
But it was so natural, because he had already created this character, and it's just so much the opposite of what Yutani the Younger was like.
She's very much the adult, privileged, has been born into power, has been born into money, and he came from nothing.
Boy K was not even mentally grown, he doesn't play by the rules she makes. She makes the rules, he doesn't play by them, and so she asked herself how to react to that. But it was very natural to come and be so poised, and be so used to being listened to and defining what we are going to do, and how we are going to do it. And then, to come into that room and be challenged constantly by somebody who doesn't want to follow the rules. It was a joy, a tiny little play that they were playing. Sandra thought that was probably her favorite shooting day, doing that scene. Very difficult, very, very hot.
e) Directed by Ugla Haukdottir
And also, they had Ugla Hauksdottir, who was the director for this episode. She was very demanding, and rightfully so. She had a lot of great notes, but because it's such an extremely long scene, she would have so many notes, and smart notes, she's so observant and had great ideas that we could try off.
But you kind of have to also know that when you're an actor, and you receive notes, if you have one note, you kind of also have to know or feel, "Where does that take me? I'm going to try something new, but everything else that comes after that, it won't be the same." If you want to be true to the moment, you have to kind of feel where that goes.
So Sandra’s response, "I love all your brilliant notes, but you can only give me three, or else it'd be all about hitting the notes rather than hitting the first note, see where that takes me, and then see what happens?"
She just loved it when a scene is practically two people just sitting at a table, she would be like, "Oh my god, this is so dramatic. Give me some more of those scenes." She found it so enjoyable to do.
f) The struggle between Boy K and Yutani the Younger
She just thought about this scene as very much about Boy Kavalier actually forcing her to be less comfortable. She's been so used to leaning back and just wanting something, and then it happens, and she says, "No, this is the way we're gonna go," and everybody goes in that direction.
And then, because he challenges her and doesn't want to follow the rules, rules that she's probably put in place in the first round, she has to lean in and actually decide, "Okay, what am I going to do now?"
Sandra thought many things have been easy for Yutani the Younger. If there was a question power play in that scene, to see what the character can do, she thought she's always just been able to say, "This is how I want it. If I can't have it, I'll just pay more money and then I'll have it."
But Boy K won't play by those rules, which Sandra found really interesting. So, she thought that Boy K forces her to get out of her comfortable shell and be more proactive into making strategies, and maybe also breaking some rules in regards to getting what she wants.
She looked on the internet to see responses to her performance and noiticed fans online saying Yutani is “Mother.” Not as in the computer “MU/TH/UR” on the Nostromo or on the Maginot, but as in slang “Mother.” It’s not about being warm and nurturing; it’s about being powerful, with a very adult, female energy. That’s quite the opposite of Boy Kavalier, who really is the ultimate boy. Yutani’s motivation comes from her extreme privilege. Her main goal is to maintain her spot at the top when it comes to power, wealth, and influence. She and her family set the rules of power in the universe, while Boy Kavalier is all about breaking and challenging those rules. She’s old money and old power, while he’s this scrappy newcomer who doesn’t care about tradition, legacy, or “how things are done.” He just wants to disrupt the adults’ rules.
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver :There are a lot of things that were epic on set. You know, there’s a really big scene in episode six, an unusually long scene, almost like a little theatre piece with a lot of dialogue, and I’m playing opposite Samuel Blenkin, who is absolutely brilliant – what he does with that character is just absolutely amazing. to such a degree that I also felt a little anxious about having to go toe to toe with this guy who is so brilliant, and his character is such a smart ass. But we have to be equal in the scene, it has to be some kind of fight or else this fight won’t be exciting for the audience to see. So, this is the biggest scene I have in the whole season going up against them. We were at this location they had chosen, a musicals conservatory in Bangkok. We’re shooting, I think it must have been in May, and it is extremely hot in Bangkok in May. It’s a beautiful space, but we’re not dressed for summer – I have thick silk, three layers of coat, a huge wig. I don’t sweat that much, I’m actually really good in hot weather, but this is a lot, and because we’re shooting and the scene is so dialogue-based, they have to turn off the air condition. So, it gets profusely hot. It was just so hard shooting 8 or 10 hours in this heat, and even though I knew this dialogue to the bone, when it was like midday, I would forget lines because I was so hot and sweaty. It was a very challenging day, but also a lot of fun. They fed us a lot of ice cream that day [laughs].https://www.theitalianreve.com/interview-with-sandra-yi-sencindiver-into-my-space/
- ScreenRant: I'd love to also hear about the mediation scene between Yutani and Boy Kavalier. I love watching you and Samuel sort of verbally spar with one another in that scene. I'd love to hear what it was like finding that rhythm between your characters, given that they're very specific in their rhythms. You're more careful and thoughtful, whereas he's just very rapid fire.
Sencindiver: I found it to be so natural, because I only joined the cast in the last part of shooting, so they had been going on before the strike. Some of them had been attached for two years. I was only a part of the cast the last three months, and they flew me in early, because there were a lot of makeup and hair and costume tests for Yutani, because they wanted her to have an exquisite look, and really wanted to find the exact look for her. So, I had some time in Bangkok before I even started shooting or rehearsing, and I went to set to see, because I didn't know, like, "What's the tone, what are we doing?" What's new, what's old?" because I had only my own scene. So, I went to set a couple of times, and then I had the the fortune to experience Sam work, and I was just so impressed with this obnoxious character he had created. [Laughs] And, like Babou, Sam is a very, very different person from his character, and I just love any actor who's able to transform in such a way. He's just so equilibristic. I just enjoyed his craft, and also felt a little intimidated. I'm like, "God, I really gotta bring it, because we want a proper fight. We don't want to know who's going to win this fight. We want these two to be equal, and not know who's going to win this battle." So, it really made me think I have to bring it, especially in that big scene where we have a face off. But it was so natural, because he had already created this character, and it's just so much the opposite of what she is like. She's very much the adult, privileged, has been born into power, has been born into money, and he came from nothing. He's not even grown, he doesn't play by the rules she makes. She makes the rules, he doesn't play by them, and how do you react to that? So, it's very natural to come and be so poised, and be so used to being listened to and defining what we are going to do, and how we are going to do it. And then, to come into that room and be challenged constantly by somebody who doesn't want to follow the rules. It was a joy, a tiny little play we were playing. I think that was probably my favorite shooting day, doing that scene. Very difficult, very, very hot. And also, we had Ugla, who was the director for this episode, she was very demanding, and rightfully so. She had a lot of great notes, but because it's such an extremely long scene, she would have so many notes, and smart notes, she's so observant and had great ideas that we could try off. But you kind of have to also know that when you're an actor, and you receive notes, if you have one note, you kind of also have to know or feel, "Where does that take me? I'm going to try something new, but everything else that comes after that, it won't be the same." If you want to be true to the moment, you have to kind of feel where that goes. So I was like, "I love all your brilliant notes, but you can only give me three, or else it'd be all about hitting the notes rather than hitting the first note, see where that takes me, and then see what happens?”
ScreenRant: It's amazing watching yourself and others take those little notes and run with them in creative new directions. And so I love that you had that experience with her, because I really did not know who was going to come out on top in that mediation. For a second I really thought it was Weyland-Yutani. I was like, Oh, they got this in the bag. They're gonna win. Prodigy is gonna have to race.>Sencindiver: I just love it when a scene is practically two people just sitting at a table, you're like, "Oh my god, this is so dramatic. Give me some more of those scenes." I find it so enjoyable to do.
ScreenRant: One thing I wanted to ask about that scene as well is that a good amount of this season has seen Yutani really trying to, obviously, reclaim the Maginot and everything that's in it. But I'm curious, going into that scene in particular, do you think that her trying to get everything back is a matter of just trying to reclaim her property, or do you think it's almost a power play of, "Yes, this is on your territory, but I can still have victories on your territory"?
Sencindiver: I hadn't thought of it that way. I just very much thought about Boy Kavalier actually forces her to be less comfortable, if that makes sense. She's been so used to leaning back and just wanting something, and then it happens, and she says, "No, this is the way we're gonna go," and everybody goes in that direction. And then, because he challenges her and doesn't want to follow the rules, rules that she's probably put in place in the first round, she has to lean in and actually decide, "Okay, what am I going to do now?" I think many things have been easy for her. So no, I don't think necessarily it's a power play, to see what I can do. I think she's always just been able to say, "This is how I want it. If I can't have it, I'll just pay more money and then I'll have it." And he won't play by those rules, which I find really interesting. So, I think he forces her to get out of her comfortable shell and be more proactive into making strategies, and maybe also breaking some rules in regards to getting what she wants.
https://screenrant.com/alien-earth-weyland-yutani-franchise-lore-expansion-sandra-yi-sencidiver/
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