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.
- 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..https://www.theitalianreve.com/interview-with-sandra-yi-sencindiver-into-my-space/
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.
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver : 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 –.https://www.theitalianreve.com/interview-with-sandra-yi-sencindiver-into-my-space/
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver :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/
d) Interacting Samuel Blenkin who plays Boy K
She found her interaction with Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier to be so 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.
- 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..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. https://screenrant.com/alien-earth-weyland-yutani-franchise-lore-expansion-sandra-yi-sencidiver/
e) Directed by Ugla Haukdottir
And also, they had Ugla Hauksdóttir, 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.
Sencindiver: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.https://screenrant.com/alien-earth-weyland-yutani-franchise-lore-expansion-sandra-yi-sencidiver/
f) The man with bare feet on the table
Hawley in a tone meeting conversation with Hauksdóttir, suggested an idea, along with a few other key details that help define Kavalier’s character, ‘’He's somebody who may be super late. He's not somebody who minds having people wait for him. I think he might even put his dirty feet up on the table.”
Hauksdóttir found herself nearbeniugh respinding ‘oh, wow, we're going to go with that crazy with Boy K. That's fun. ‘
Samuel Blenkin had a similar idea. When he read the acript, the first thought he had was that this guy doesn't wear shoes, and that he sees himself as Peter Pan.
It's one of Hauksdottir’s favorite scenes that she directed on the show. There's something about just being in that grand formal space and them sitting at the end of this long table with this moderator.
And Boy K comes walking in with his dirty feet and he completely dismisses Yutani, the moderator, the purpose of this meeting, and obviously, he completely outsmarts Yutani by the end of it.
Boy K is somebody who doesn't want to grow up. He doesn't think about consequences because he doesn't care about consequences. Hauksdottir though that is what makes him extremely dangerous. It's about wealth and power, greed, success, and the fact that no moral questions get in his way. Indeed, it was a scary world that he's building.
As the negotiation continues, Kavalier’s behavior goes from rude to downright weird as he climbs onto the table and begins to crawl toward Yutani. This wasn’t in the original script either: Blenkin improvised it during rehearsal.
And then on the day the actor, he came up to me and we were talking about the scene, and he was just like,” hey, what if I just like, get on the table?”
Hauksdóttir‘S response was, “wow, that would be kind of amazing. I hope I don't get fired for letting you do this”. And you have not much time to make a decision. And we decided to rehearse a scene, see how it played out.
When Sam begins crawling on the table, Hauksdóttir‘s instant reaction was that she really loved it, but it's a bold decision to make as a director when the time was ticking. She thought that if she said yes to this, either they were going make the greatest scene ever, or she was going to get fired. And I immediately thought it was just so bold, so strong.
But she found herself responding, “yeah, be bold or go home. you know what, let's do it. Let's go bold, and let's try it.”
And at least for her, it's one of her favorite scenes in this episode. So she was glad that she took that risk.
And it really became such a great character moment for Boy K. And Hauksdóttir thought this is going to be really memorable TV.
For the audience, it’s a fun moment in an otherwise pretty tense scene. For Blenkin, his character’s bizarre behavior is yet another example of Kavalier’s unique psychology. He’s a funhouse-mirror reflection of our real-world tech elite, living in a reality where nobody can ever stand up to him. The result is a manchild whose biggest passion is messing with his enemies.
UGLA HAUKSDOTTIR: It's one of my favorite scenes that I directed on the show. There's something about just being in that grand formal space and them sitting at the end of this long table with this moderator. And Boy K comes walking in with his dirty feet and he completely dismisses Yutani, the moderator, the purpose of this meeting, and obviously, he completely outsmarts Yutani by the end of it. Boy K, he is somebody who-- he doesn't want to grow up. He doesn't think about consequences because he doesn't care about consequences. I think that is what makes him extremely dangerous. It's about wealth and power, greed, success, and the fact that no moral questions get in his way. Yeah, it's a scary world that he's building.
ADAM ROGERS: It's clear that that's a room that the oligarchs are supposed to take seriously, and he's ignoring that. Like, he thinks he's beyond even that. It's really chilling in its own way.
UGLA HAUKSDOTTIR: Yeah. And I mean, he turns the law on her, on Yutani. He's a mind fucker.
[LAUGHTER]
ADAM ROGERS: Good point. And the way Sam does it, Yutani is such a coiled spring character, and formal and playing very straight, and he's, like, taking up the space of four people, putting his feet up and stuff like that. That dichotomy is really, when they're together, you really see it the most.
UGLA HAUKSDOTTIR: Yeah, and that's also not scripted. The fact that he gets up on the table and puts his feet up. I mean, putting his feet up is something that Noah had mentioned in a tone meeting. And I was like, oh, wow, we're going to go with that crazy with Boy K. That's fun. And then on the day the actor, he came up to me and we were talking about the scene, and he was just like, hey, what if I just like, get on the table? And I go, wow, that would be kind of amazing. I hope I don't get fired for letting you do this. [LAUGHS] And you have not much time to make a decision. And we decided to rehearse a scene, see how it played out. And I immediately thought it was just so bold, so strong. And it really became such a great character moment for Boy K. And I was just like, this is going to be really memorable TV. So I was just like, you know what, let's do it. Let's go bold, and let's try it. And at least for me, it's one of my favorite scenes in this episode. So I'm glad that I took that risk.
(FX’s Alien:Earth podcast 6)
- Alien: Earth episode 6 opens in a boardroom where Kavalier meets with Yutani (of Weyland-Yutani fame) to negotiate the return of the alien specimens of the alien specimens he looted from her crashed spaceship. Negotiations get off to a rough start, however, when Kavalier shows up late and promptly puts his bare, dirty feet up on the table.
This simple action, which sets the tone for the entire scene, wasn’t in the original script.
Ugla Hauksdóttir, who directed episode 6, recalls a conversation with Hawley where he suggested the idea, along with a few other key details that help define Kavalier’s character: “Noah said to me, ‘He's somebody who may be super late. He's not somebody who minds having people wait for him. I think he might even put his dirty feet up on the table.’”
Blenkin had a similar idea.
“I read the script, and the first thought I had was that this guy doesn't wear shoes,” the actor says. “He sees himself as Peter Pan.”As the negotiation continues, Kavalier’s behavior goes from rude to downright weird as he climbs onto the table and begins to crawl toward Yutani. This wasn’t in the original script either: Blenkin improvised it during rehearsal.
Hauksdóttir says that when it first happened, she was shocked, but she ultimately decided to follow the actor’s instincts: “Sam begins crawling on the table. My instant reaction was that I really loved it, but it's a bold decision to make as a director when the time is ticking. I thought, If I say yes to this, either we're gonna make the greatest scene ever, or I'm gonna get fired. But yeah, be bold or go home.”
For the audience, it’s a fun moment in an otherwise pretty tense scene. For Blenkin, his character’s bizarre behavior is yet another example of Kavalier’s unique psychology. He’s a funhouse-mirror reflection of our real-world tech elite, living in a reality where nobody can ever stand up to him. The result is a manchild whose biggest passion is messing with his enemies.https://www.polygon.com/alien-earth-boy-kavalier-samuel-blenkin-interview/
Sencindiver 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 of 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.
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/
h) Seeing audience response to her character
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.
Indeed, Blenkin decuded that Boy K hated Weyland-Yutani, and so he saw himself as a disruptor; new, exciting, fast-moving, so different from them. He just rocks up and goes, ”Right. How can I be rudest?”
- “He hates Waylend-Yutani,” Blenkin says. “He sees himself as a disruptor; new, exciting, fast-moving, so different from them. He just rocks up and goes, Right. How can I be rudest?”https://www.polygon.com/alien-earth-boy-kavalier-samuel-blenkin-interview/
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