Q&A: Aileen Wu Dukes it Out with Extraterrestrials in ‘Alien: Romulus’

As summer 2024 closed out and turned to fall, so did the summer movie box office, but not without one more hit — Fede Àlvarez’s “Alien Romulus.” While it’s possible you weren’t aware of the newest addition to the franchise by name, you may have seen the poster plastered on buses, billboards and more. A buzzed-cut individual in front of a blood-red background, hands clenched around the star of the image, an eight-legged, extraterrestrial creature who’s latched onto their face. The person sharing the poster with our out-of-this-world friend? None other than actress Aileen Wu, who plays steely pilot Navarro in the film.

“Alien Romulus” follows a ragtag group of 20-somethings led by Rain (Cailee Spaeny,) from a desolate, sunless space colony who are determined to make a better life for themselves. The team plans to make their way to planet Yvaga, where opportunity is boundless and the sun shines everyday. One hitch though, the illuminous world is several years away, meaning they’ll need cryostasis chambers, and the only ones not under bureaucratic control are in an abandoned spacecraft just above the atmosphere. Naturally, the crew makes their way to the deserted ship, ready to extract the tickets to their new lives.

Navarro (Wu) is the legs of the operation, piloting the small spaceship that takes the group up to the abandoned station with expertise. She’s also the first character to take one of the aliens, quite literally, head-on.

Character Media sat down with Wu to discuss all things “Alien Romulus,” her reaction to being on the poster and how she interpreted the role of Navarro.