We Can't Stop Talking About Sydney Chandler, Sci-Fi's Newest Heroine
Since Ridley Scott's Alien first landed in theaters in 1979, the sci-fi horror film has seen a series of movie sequels, crossovers, and spin-offs, resulting in an expansive universe (pun intended) with intricate lore and a deeply dedicated fan base. Strangely, in its 46-year history, never had an Alien TV series been attempted—until Noah Hawley, the writer and director behind such prestige, off-kilter series as Fargo and Legion, took a leap of faith and created one of the best shows of the year, Alien: Earth. In doing so, he gave us Sydney Chandler, the series' spectacular breakout lead.
You might recognize Chandler from her roles in the FX series Pistol and Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, but by all accounts, the 29-year-old is still new to this whole acting world. We suspect that won't be the case for long, though, after the runaway success of Alien: Earth. Still, there's a nervous energy to Chandler when we first meet on the set of her Who What Wear shoot. Chandler is not your typical assured Hollywood star. She's reserved, introverted, and quite shy. Despite her acting pedigree—her father is Kyle Chandler—she wasn't the kid who grew up wanting to be like dad. She spent most of her life away from the hustle and bustle of the industry on her family's farm outside of Austin, Texas, an idyllic, grounded youth that birthed her love of the great outdoors and her active lifestyle. (Her happy place is being covered in sweat while biking on a trail.) She'd rather have her head in a book than watch TV, and for a long time, she considered herself more of a solo person.
"I was absolutely terrified about the idea of being in front of people ever," Chandler says over Zoom. Understandably, acting was never the plan. Instead, Chandler went to school for creative writing and poetry, which, looking back on now, she admits wasn't the most financially sound choice. Her parents were always encouraging of her artistic exploration. At the time, she was working on a screenplay about people trying to act, which inadvertently, or maybe subconsciously, was a way of getting herself into an acting class.
It was a turning point. "I had this scene with this poor girl, and I was screaming at her," she says. "It was a very angry scene, and halfway through the monologue, I realized, 'This is the first time I've ever raised my voice in my life.' I'm in my early 20s at this point. I had never raised my voice before, and it felt incredible. It felt empowering, and it felt really interesting to be in a safe, collaborative space to explore those emotions."
The experience was as thrilling as it was terrifying for Chandler. She was hooked.
"There's that moment where you fall into the work regardless of what you're doing, and it's the most clear-headed, peaceful, meditative space," she says. "I think that's our drug as actors. It's finding that moment." You could say Chandler found that moment early on with Alien: Earth.
Taking place two years before the events of Scott's Alien, the FX series is set in 2120 when Earth is ruled by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) live alongside humans. In the race for immortality, Prodigy Corporation's wunderkind founder unlocks a new type of being—hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human, specifically children's, consciousness)—creating the first hybrid prototype named Wendy. But when a spaceship carrying deadly alien specimens crashes into Earth, Wendy and the other hybrids must fight to save the planet.
