Alan Tudyk's Brilliant Resident Alien Performances Create A Big Headscratcher For The Sci-Fi Show

Resident Alien‘s leading man plays the show’s main character excellently, but although Alan Tudyk does an awesome job of embodying Harry Vanderspeigle, his acting choices also create a deeper-lying issue. Tudyk has led the Resident Alien cast since the show began in 2021. Although Resident Alien season 3’s ending looked for a while as though it would be the show’s final outing, a switch from SyFy to USA Network means the sci-fi dramedy will return. It’s too late for Tudyk to change how he plays Harry in Resident Alien season 4. However, it’d be a shame even if he did.

Adapted from a comic book series of the same name by Peter Hogan, Resident Alien tells the story of an eccentric extraterrestrial whose allegiances change from that of his native species to sharing the values of humanity. Harry Vanderspeigle would certainly be a huge acting challenge for anyone who took on the role, but Alan Tudyk’s experience of playing off-beat characters gives him a huge advantage. Now, the show revolves around what Tudyk has brought to the character, but there are also certain problems caused by the actor’s efforts.

Harry Vanderspeigle Is Incredibly Quirky In Resident Alien (& No One Seems To Notice)

Tudyk’s performance as Harry doesn’t attract attention from the residents of Patience, Colorado

Tudyk plays an alien in human form who is trying to convince those around him that he is just a regular guy who originated on Earth. Outside the world of the show, it would be apparent almost immediately that Harry is no ordinary person. The way he speaks, carries himself, and interacts with other characters should alert those around him that there’s something very unusual about Harry Vanderspeigle. Instead, none of the residents of Patience, Colorado seem to realize just how incredibly eccentric Tudyk’s character is.

Of course, humans come in all shapes and sizes, so it could just be that everyone simply accepts Harry’s strange demeanor for what it is. As in reality, the existence of alien life among the general population isn’t something that’s readily agreed upon in Resident Alien. Just because Harry is a little unconventional – okay, a lot unconventional – wouldn’t necessarily mean he’d be immediately suspected to be from outer space. That being said, some characters solidly believe in aliens throughout the show, and they don’t act like anything is amiss when they encounter Harry.

Alien characters like Heather and Joseph come across as much more human than Harry

Harry isn’t the only alien character in the show. The Grey Aliens have been featured for a while, but they’re not a direct comparison to Tudyk’s in-universe persona because they are quite visibly not from Earth. However, other aliens are also shown to walk the planet while appearing to be human. Somewhat confusingly, they don’t just appear to be a member of Earth’s native species – they act and sound like one too. Coming from among the stars and being forced to live as humans, characters like Enver Gjokak’s Joseph Rainer and Edi Patterson’s Heather blend in far more effectively.

Then again, “blending in” may be something of a misnomer. Harry makes almost no effort to mask his alien nature, and he appears to get away with seeming human to the same level of success as Joseph and Heather. Joseph has the advantage of being half-human, but Heather is an enormous Blue Avian whose native culture is presumably very different from Earth’s. Regardless, neither actor plays their respective character in the same way as Alan Tudyk plays Harry. This disparate decision-making creates an interesting if not confusing image of life in interplanetary communities.

Also, if all the show’s alien actors played their characters similarly to how Tudyk portrays Harry, it would be far more difficult to suspend the disbelief of the human figures not noticing the slew of unusual individuals in their midst. It’s perhaps understandable that Harry could slip under the radar in Patience – especially given that none of the residents had any kind of real relationship with the original human Harry – but any more off-the-wall aliens would surely start to be too much to ignore.

Harry’s Future Self In Resident Alien Season 2 Doesn’t Act The Same As Tudyk’s Present-Day Character

Goliath’s human-like demeanor could come from centuries of solitude

The biggest twist in Resident Alien season 2 is finding out that Goliath is simply a version of Harry from an alternate future. Although Goliath reverts to his natural alien form while traversing a post-apocalyptic Earth, he’s eventually played by an actor other than Alan Tudyk when he returns to the past. David Bianchi appears to Harry as Goliath, but the actor adds to the show’s trend of offering a very traditional performance while portraying an alien character. It’s made even more confusing when it’s considered that both Bianchi and Tudyk are essentially playing the same character.

Technically, this discrepancy could be explained by the fact that Goliath spent centuries alone trying to save the scorched Earth. So long in isolation could account for his drastic change in demeanor. On the other hand, if Goliath had no one to talk to for so long, his personality would arguably be even more unusual, rather than leveling out into something much more human. Additionally, having another actor mimic Tudyk’s style so closely in a moment that held so much gravitas could have resulted in a much different atmosphere that would have changed how the scene was received.

Why Tudyk’s Acting Choices Still Work Despite The Other Alien Inconsistencies

Harry stands out as Resident Alien’s main character thanks to Tudyk’s inspired performance

Alan Tudyk is inarguably the star of Resident Alien, despite also being part of an ensemble cast. Due to this status as the show’s lead actor, it gives him much more creative freedom as well as additional license to make the character his own. Furthermore, all of his acting choices make perfect sense for an alien trying to pass as a human being. Portraying Harry the way he does could very well be a very difficult thing to replicate for other actors stepping into similar roles within the show. Plus, being so unique helps Harry stand out even more.

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Also, there’s an important consideration that Resident Alien isn’t just a sci-fi drama, as it has strong comedic elements too. The entire story takes place in a heightened reality, despite certain attempts being made to keep some elements grounded. The presumably intentional clash between Tudyk’s irreverent performance as Harry and the relative normality that surrounds him results in some very funny sequences. Because these laughs are essential to Resident Alien‘s formula, it makes sense why Tudyk plays Harry the way he does.

A television adaptation of the comic book series, Resident Alien is a sci-fi comedy that stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who crashes on Earth with one mission – destroy humanity to save the planet. When Tudyk’s character takes the identity of a doctor, he arrives at a small town and begins to act the role preparing his plan. As time passes, he develops human emotions against his will – but his plans are further complicated when he meets the son of the mayor – who can see his actual appearance.

Cast

Alan Tudyk , Elizabeth Bowen , Judah Prehn , Levi Fiehler , Corey Reynolds , Alice Wetterlund , Sara Tomko

Release Date

January 27, 2021

Seasons

4

Showrunner

Chris Sheridan