Elle Fanning Opens Up About the Challenge of Playing Two Synthetics in PREDATOR: BADLANDS
When Predator: Badlands dropped its first trailer earlier this year, fans immediately noticed something really cool, a direct connection to the Alien universe.
That blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of Elle Fanning’s character Thia confirmed she’s a Weyland-Yutani synthetic, instantly expanding the Predator mythos. But that’s not all. Fanning isn’t just playing Thia, she’s also portraying another synthetic, Tessa. As the actress recently revealed, bringing both of those characters to life wasn’t exactly an easy task.
In a new interview with ComicBook, Fanning opened up about the challenges of acting opposite herself in the same scene, explaining that pulling off those moments took serious preparation and a lot of trust in Dan Trachtenberg, who directed the film.
“[Director] Dan [Trachtenberg] and I, we really worked to make the characters, really differentiate them and make them quite [distinct]. We wanted to make the most polar opposite as possible.
“There were actors that came in even my stunt girls … they would step in and put the suit on and do kind of over the shoulders and we would read together. So there’s movie magic and movie tricks, but also you had to remember what you did the day before, or how you were going to react because also you don’t know what tape they’re going to use.
“So it’s very interesting. You have to give a lot of different options for Dan to be able to edit it together because obviously when I am acting as Thea someone else is being Tessa, but then if I played Tessa the day before in that scene I’m like, ‘What am I reacting to? Let me try to remember what I was giving at that moment.’ So yeah, it was so interesting but very rewarding … complicated.”
That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes insight that really makes you appreciate what goes into making these movies. Watching Fanning balance two distinct performances is impressive. She completely owns both roles. Thia, in particular, is one of the film’s standout characters, full of heart and curiosity in the middle of all the chaos. I loved that character!
Predator: Badlands also shakes up the franchise formula as Trachtenberg wanted to tell a story where the audience could truly connect with a Yautja protagonist, so this time around there are no human characters at all.
Instead, synthetics like Thia and Tessa serve as the emotional core of the story. From what’s been teased, Thia joins forces with Dek, the film’s Predator lead, as he embarks on a journey to prove himself to his tribe.
As for Tessa, her role is still largely under wraps, though Fanning’s comment about the characters being “polar opposites” hints that she could be a major foil to Thia.
That duality is a clever move, both thematically and visually. It echoes what Michael Fassbender did in Alien: Covenant, playing David and Walter, two synthetics on opposite sides of a philosophical divide.
It looks like Badlands might be tapping into that same spirit, mixing brutal, high-octane action with subtle questions about identity and evolution.
Fanning also shared that she drew inspiration from David Jonsson’s performance as Andy in Alien: Romulus, saying it gave her the “confidence” to make her own mark on this type of character. From Ash in Alien to Call in Resurrection, Weyland-Yutani synthetics have always been fascinating reflections of humanity, and it sounds like Thia and Tessa are the next step in that ongoing evolution.
With Predator: Badlands, Fanning proves she’s got serious range, bringing two completely different androids to life in one film.