A brand new episode of FX’s Alien: Earth is now streaming on Disney+. Episode 5, titled “In Space, No One…”, is written and directed by showrunner Noah Hawley and is essentially an Alien movie condensed in to an hour-long episode.
Taking place before the events of the series premiere. “In Space, No One…” returns viewers to the USCSS Maginot before its fateful crash into Prodigy City. With the captain incapacitated by a face hugger it’s left to executive officer Zoya Zaveri (Richa Moorjani) to take control of the ship and her crew. But with several alien species on the loose. A security officer (Babou Ceesay) with ulterior motives. The odds are certainly stacked against her.
Ahead of the episode we sat down for an exclusive interview with Richa Moorjani and talked all about her tackle with a Xenomorph and taking on the role of Zoya. Before diving in to our chat, take a look at teaser for the episode in the player below:
NB: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. This interview does also include SPOILERS for Alien: Earth season 1, episode 5.
Neil Vagg (GYCO): Before diving in to episode 5 let’s go back to the beginning. You’ve worked with Noah Hawley before on Fargo. But how did joining the cast of Alien: Earth come about?
Richa Moorjani (RM): So [Noah Hawley] literally called me out of the blue one day in February 2024. He asked if I was available in February and March… and April… and May! I said yes and he said “would you like to come to Bangkok and be in Alien?” I said yes, absolutely and then it all happened right away.
GYCO: Were you a fan of the franchise before joining the cast?
RM: So it’s funny because I am a sci-fi fan but I had never seen Alien. I knew everything about it. My husband was a huge fan and so many of my friends were fans too. So I knew so much about it and how much of a big deal it was. It was on my watch list but this gave me a reason to watch it right away.
GYCO: That was going to be my next question, presumably you literally went right out and watched it?
RM: Absolutely. It was so helpful for my research and it was just great to have a reason to watch it all. It was really exciting because I read the script before watching the movies. So after reading it and then going back and watching it, I was just so impressed by what Noah had done with this show and specifically with this episode. I was so, so excited to be part of it.
GYCO: Zoya comes across as a cool character to play. There are shades of Ripley and that traditional Alien hero in there. But we get to see so many different sides to her in this episode. How did Noah first pitch the character to you?
RM: So when he first told me about [Zoya] it was a pretty quick call. But he basically emphasised how central her character is to this episode and how important she is not just to this episode, but to the series. Her relationship with Brosnki and the way that Morrow betrays her. All of that really creates the horror of the episode as well as the Xenomorph. That’s what he described to me about the importance of her character. He did warm me that it doesn’t end well with her, but that she does not go down without a fight.
GYCO: Then you get in to it with this episode. As you just described there is so much escalating chaos around Zoya. She’s had to take command of the ship. Her friends and loved ones are dying around her. She’s trying to be a leader and a friend but she’s also grieving. How do you – as an actor – balance all of that? Because you do it so well!
RM: Thank you for saying that. I’m so happy you liked it! I think it’s like [Alien] too, there’s just so much happening that the characters don’t really have time to think. You don’t really have time to grieve because it’s just one crisis to the next crisis. Obviously she’s devastated but as soon as she finds out Bronski is dead she finds out all these other things and then someone else is about to die. So I think for me, as the actor, what I really tried to do was be in the moment of each scene, obviously know what had happened just before.
But I think for this character, she really is in each moment. She doesn’t even have time to think about what happened five minutes ago. That’s what would happen if you’re in that level of crisis. As the actor playing her it was definitely the most emotionally and physically demanding part I’ve ever had to play. It was very difficult to embody that level of fear and stress and grief for so many days on set. But as the same time it was honestly the most rewarding and satisfying character and project I’ve ever been part of.
I feel so grateful that it really helped me in so many way as an actor to grow and push myself into these dark territories that I’ve never had to push myself in to before.
GYCO: I think that’s something all of the cast has echoed in interviews for the show. I had the chance to speak to Babou Ceesay ahead of the premiere and some of my highlights of this episode are the scenes between Zoya and Morrow. I wanted to ask what it was like working with Babou on those more dialogue heavy scenes?
RM: Those were some of the best scenes to shoot for me, honestly. First of all, working with Babou, he’s such a phenomenal actor. Every time I was in a scene with him, I think I was focusing more on how good he was than what I was supposed to do. He’s also just such an incredible human being and we have become such good friends. So I felt so blessed to have gotten to work with him. He’s go great in the show and not just in this episode.
I should say I had no idea what Morrow was doing. I hadn’t read any of the other scripts, only episode five. So I really only knew what was happening in the moment. Now I’m watching with the rest of the world and finding out what he’s doing. It’s very interesting because I really feel like you see different layers and different aspects to his character in this episode.
The very first scene that I shot for this episode was the scene where we are on the bridge and he’s telling me that I have to prioritise the cargo. I saw “well let’s go ask mother” and he tells me to speak to the computer because he’s going to go do his job. It was great. It just made me so excited about being in the episode.
GYCO: Zoya is really the person that spends the most time on screen with the Xenomorph. What was it like seeing the psychical suit on set of the first time?
RM: You know, at first people told me about it and they were like “oh my god, wait until you see Cameron wearing the Xenomorph costume” and I was thinking it’s just a person. It’s not going to be very scary. But when I saw him and the way he was able to embody this creature. The way he moved and the specificity of all that detail which went in to it. It’s absolutely extraordinary. Homework was put into it and it really did make the experience so much more real for me as the actor and as the character. I think it’s such a blessing because you really don’t have to act as much as you would with a green screen.
GYCO: I was just going to say that’s something Noah has talked about a lot, the practicality of it all and wanting to make sure the world was so tactile for the cast. So that really has to help more so that being surrounded by green screen.
RM: Absolutely. This is my first time ever doing sci-fi horror. So I had no idea what to expect. I really thought when I was flying to Bangkok that I would just be working on a green screen. So I had no idea what to expect. When I walked onto that set and I saw how intricate it was I felt like I was on a real spaceship. Then seeing the Xenomorph and everyone in their wardrobe, you really feel so immersed in that world that it really makes your own work so much easier.
GYCO: You said this was one of the most physical you’ve ever done. Zoya has some great stunt sequences with the Xenomorph. Did you enjoy getting stuck in to those more physical scenes?
RM: Like I said, I’ve never had to do something like that before. I’ve heard other actors say when it comes to action sequences like that there’s something about it that’s so demanding it makes the performance so much more raw and real. All the energy goes out the door. You’re not thinking about anything else besides what’s happening in that moment. I really, really enjoyed it and I really look forward to doing more things like that.
GYCO: Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
RM: Thank you, so wonderful to meet you.
In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype named “Wendy” marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, “Wendy” and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.
Led by Chandler, the series showcases an expansive international cast, which includes Timothy Olyphant (“Kirsh”), Alex Lawther (“Hermit”), Samuel Blenkin (“Boy Kavalier”), Babou Ceesay (“Morrow”), Adrian Edmondson (“Atom Eins”), David Rysdahl (“Arthur Sylvia”), Essie Davis (“Dame Sylvia”), Lily Newmark (“Nibs”), Erana James (“Curly”), Adarsh Gourav (“Slightly”), Jonathan Ajayi (“Smee”), Kit Young (“Tootles”), Diêm Camille (“Siberian”), Moe Bar-El (“Rashidi”) and Sandra Yi Sencindiver (“Yutani”).
FX’s Alien: Earth is created for television and executive produced by Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning Noah Hawley. Ridley Scott, David W. Zucker, Joseph Iberti, Dana Gonzales and Clayton Krueger also serve as executive producers. “Alien: Earth” is produced by FX Productions.
Recommended viewing: Alien Quadrilogy
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