Led by Priscilla actress Cailee Spaeny, the Alien: Romulus cast delivered a compelling performance, contributing to the universal acclaim of the space sci-fi horror thriller. The latest addition to the Alien franchise showcased several young promising talents with its engrossing narrative set between the events of the first two Alien films — Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) and James Cameron’s Aliens (1986). Romulus revolves around a group of young space colonists’ encounter with a monstrous extraterrestrial creature. Fede Álvarez opted for young cast members to modernize the franchise for contemporary moviegoers.
Speaking about that, the director told Variety that casting young people for Alien: Romulus was a way of introducing younger viewers to the franchise. “For me, it was a way in to imagine what it would be to a bunch of young people to grow in one of these colonies in sci-fi… They’re closer to the audience in a way. They don’t know anything about the world they’re getting into.” Álvarez also explained that having a youthful cast allowed for potent storytelling. “As a rule of thumb in horror, the younger the people, the tougher it is to watch them die.”
Cailee Spaeny As Rain Carradine
American actress Cailee Spaeny plays Alien: Romulus’ protagonist Rain Carradine. Spaeny began her career on stage as a child and debuted onscreen in 2016 as Erica in Josh Pfaff’s short thriller Counting to 1000. Her breakthrough came in 2018 with her portrayal of Jane Ginsburg in Mimi Leder’s On the Basis of Sex. The biographical drama showcased the depth of her talent, drawing attention to her performances in other 2018 films like Pacific Rim: Uprising, Bad Times at the El Royale, and Vice.
Cailee Spaeny’s career reached new heights in the 2020s with her roles in Alien: Romulus, Alex Garland’s Civil War, and 2023’s Priscilla. The latter won her the Vince Film Festival Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globes nomination for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama. She is billed to star alongside Daniel Craig and Josh Brolin in Glass Onion’s sequel Wake Up Dead Man.
David Jonsson As Andy
British actor David Jonsson plays Rain’s android brother programmed by her late father to do what’s best for Rain. Like Spaeny, Jonsson began his career on stage, albeit as a teenager. He joined London’s National Youth Theatre when he was 18 and bagged a scholarship to hone his skills at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in acting. This was in 2016, the same year he began playing William Davison in Almeida Theatre’s production of Mary Stuart.
He debuted onscreen in 2018, playing Cromwell Ames in two episodes of ITV’s Endeavour, and then enhanced his screen presence as Isaac Turner in Fox’s Deep State (2019). David Jonsson’s career gained momentum with the turn of the decade as he landed his first regular television role: he played Gus Sackey in 15 episodes of HBO’s Industry between 2020 and 2022. Jonsson took up a lead role as Luke Fitzwilliam in 2023’s Murder Is Easy, the same year he pulled off his big screen debut, starring with Vivian Oparah and Poppy Allen-Quarmby in Raine Allen-Miller’s acclaimed romance dramedy Rye Lane.
Archie Renaux As Tyler Harrison
Archie Renaux plays a supporting role as Tyler Harrison. As a cast member of Alien: Romulus, the English actor from Greater London has garnered renewed interest in his career which dates back to the mid-2010s when he quit his nine-to-five job as an air conditioning engineer to pursue acting. He was first seen onscreen in the music video of Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s “Mayflies.” That was in 2016 and before the decade ran out, he made his proper acting debut, gaining industry recognition with performances in Joan Fuentelsaz’s Feline (2018) and BBC One’s Gold Digger.
Renaux landed his first major, regular television role in 2021, starring alongside Jessie Mei Li and Ben Barnes in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone. His other notable works include films like Voyagers, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, Morbius, and Catherine Called Birdy. The English actor will share the screen with KJ Apa, Emma Laird, and Isabel May in Falling, an upcoming romance drama written and directed by Colin and James Krisel.
Isabela Merced As Kay Harrison
Perhaps the most familiar face among the Alien: Romulus cast, American actress Isabela Merced plays Tyler’s pregnant sister Kay Harrison. Merced began acting as a child; she made her Broadway debut when she was 10. Two years later, she appeared onscreen as Young Nadia in Henry Barrial’s 2013 family drama The House That Jack Built. Her television debut came the following year as Jenny in NBC’s Growing Up Fisher.
Since then, the American actress has portrayed a variety of characters for the small and big screen. However, she is best known for her roles in 100 Things to Do Before High School, Dora and Friends: Into the City!, Instant Family, and Transformers: The Last Knight. Instant Family won her the Imagen and Young Entertainers Awards for Best Actress – Feature Film and Best Leading Young Actress, respectively.
Spike Fearn As Bjorn
As Tyler and Kay’s cousin in Alien: Romulus, Spike Fearn might have secured the attention he needs to push his career forward. The English actor from Coalville, Leicestershire, debuted in 2019 as Ryan in The Love Europe Project. His career gained traction as the new decade rolled in: he made his television debut and landed his first major role in Mark O’Sullivan’s Tell Me Everything. Fearn’s most popular movie roles include 2022’s Aftersun, The Batman, and 2024’s Back to Black. He’s billed to perform in James L. Brooks‘ upcoming dramedy Ella McCay.
Aileen Wu As Navarro
The Alien: Romulus pilot is a Chinese-American actor and filmmaker. Aileen Wu was drawn to storytelling during her teenage years. This inspired her to attend New York University, where she obtained a BFA in Acting. She made her off-broadway debut in 2019 and appeared onscreen in 2022 as Su Qi Yu in Closing Doors, a short drama directed by Po Chun Chen and Cynthia Zhou.
While Alien: Romulus is her first major performance as an actress, Aileen Wu has quite a robust resume as a filmmaker. She has produced several short films, including 2023’s Corpse Pose which she co-directed with Zhou. She is billed to star alongside Olivia Cheng and Andrea Bang in Lawrence Le Lam’s upcoming film The Chinatown Diner. Read about Juliette Lewis, the Cut Throat Bill actor from The Thicket.
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