An Interview with Sara Tomko & Alice Wetterlund from ‘Resident Alien’

RESIDENT ALIEN -- Season:3 -- Pictured: Sara Tomko as Asta Twelvetrees, Alice Wetterlund as D'Arcy Bloom -- (Photo by: Brendan Meadows/SYFY)

Sara Tomko and Alice Wetterlund are an accomplished pair of actors that have appeared in numerous shows over the years. Currently, they star as Asta Twelvetrees and D’Arcy Bloom, respectively, on the hit SYFY series, Resident Alien, and we here at NTG were able to sit down with both of them to discuss the upcoming third season of this beloved show with them.
 
John Betancourt: I would love to know what it means to each of you to be back for a third season.
 
Sara Tomko: That's the big word to be back. We're still alive after COVID quarantine and a strike in this industry. We made it. I'm so grateful, I'm gonna say grateful, relief and excitement for fans to see this season. I think it is our… I'm gonna say it… our strongest yet. You know, season ones the OG. Season two's like the messy like, I don't know, a post honeymoon, baby.
 
Alice Wetterlund: Yeah, the sophomore album.
 
Sara Tomko: We’re like learning about each other, like after honeymoon. And we're like, I don't know if I like you or not. Yeah, season three is like, “Oh, hey, we're pretty good together. Let's keep this going.” You know, so I'm excited.
 
Alice Wetterlund: We're very excited. couldn't be more grateful also to our fans that have stayed with us and gotten on the ground level like, I love… so obviously sci fi head here, sci fi head there. (nods toward Sara) I can tell. And sci fi fans are the best fans in the world. Like, I mean, just bar none. So thoughtful. And just willing to follow you down these storylines and get really invested. And it just it breaks my heart in the best way. (At this point, Alice made use of her applause sound effect to properly pay tribute to the wonderful fans that tune in.)
 
John Betancourt: Speaking of the fans, I mean, obviously the reception has been phenomenal for the show every single year. And I would love to know, from your perspective, why you think the show resonates so well with people?
 
Alice Wetterlund: I mean, it’s a couple of things. One, it's got a great IP. The Dark Horse Comics that it's based on are full of heart, very interesting storylines, very unique. We've had incredible support from SYFY to Amblin. Our production team has been amazing. And the writing is just I mean, Chris Sheridan and all the writers, but especially Chris, pours his heart into this show like nobody else I've ever seen. I mean he's doing the like Obama thing where he gets elected, and he's like, really hot. And then he like four years later, he's like 75 years old thing, like he looks different. And he's just poured himself into this show. And he's the best person to work for. And that is important. You know, it really comes across when you can see that. I think that was kind of the case in Star Trek: The Next Generation that cast which has loved each other so much. It just came across. And our show has that, it really does, we respect and love each other like crazy on this show and the subject matter, it's pretty whimsical for sci fi. So, there is an entry point, I think for people who aren't normally like very sci fi heads. It's not Battlestar Galactica, but it's also so, so funny. I mean, it's very comedy forward. It really is. It's a laugh out loud situation. And I was laughing more in season three than ever before.
 
Sara Tomko: Yeah, we were watching the episodes, the first four episodes together. And Jenna Lamia, who plays Judy, exclaimed at one point while we were all cackling like “This show! Oh my god, like what? What are we doing? Whatever. This is like, so stupid and so perfect.” Yeah, so like, and she's right. It's like this. This scenario is crazy. But there's so much heart and we all take it so seriously, that that truth leads to honesty which leads to funny, which leads to heartbreak. And I just think people who are not like you said so eloquently, people who are not normally into sci fi, would be delighted to find out, that it's not very sci fi-y there's yeah, there's an alien. Sure. But there's really just a bunch of chaotic, imperfect, flawed people at the center trying to figure out, you know who they are and to save the world on top of it. So, it's, it's an iconic show, if you ask me.
 
Alice Wetterlund: If I can say one more thing about that, yeah, this town that Harry lands in is so special, and so unique that I really believe that, like, you get the feeling right, that what he's trying to accomplish, could not happen anywhere else. And the story that he, the character development that he has the, the connections that he makes, couldn't be made anywhere else. And I think one of the main reasons for that is that he makes these connections with the Indigenous community there that is so close to the town, which isn't always the case. And, you know, sometimes you have a reservation way outside the town, but there's just like this wonderful community of like really integrated people, which is so cool. And I that's the one thing about our show, like, I wish it reached a wider audience, because I would love to, for people to get to know these characters, these indigenous characters, especially because for me, they're just, there's no town like, like that. You know what I mean? It's just like, it's very cool to see. I mean, maybe like Rutherford Falls is like the one place I can think of that is portrayed on television that has these relationships.
 
John Betancourt: What are you each most excited for audiences to experience in season three? Without any spoilers, of course.
 
Sara Tomko: Hmm. I'm excited to see more of Asta, lightening up, finding herself, figuring out who she is outside of caretaking. I really, really love Austin and D’Arcy living together. The dynamic is so fun. And having like, I'm sorry, TJ, my husband, was watching with me. And he was like, “they have a house?” And like, you don't get that in LA. I was like, they probably still rent it. Yeah, but yeah, they have a house because it's a small town. I just think it’s, so you get more of this wonderful friendship dynamic. But also, you get to see Harry play with different people this season. It's not so Harry/Asta, which is just a really fun, you know, new experience for all involved. So that's what I'm most excited about.
 
Alice Wetterlund: I can't pick one thing, but I'll just say this… laundry day. People will know what I mean when that comes out, laundry day. But I'm also really, really pumped to see what people what the fans think of the Ben and Kate storyline in this season, because it adds so much to sort of the undercurrent, like it adds so much to what we haven't really figured out yet about this kind of larger galactic situation. And it's scary as hell and I was just really sinking my teeth into it. And I can't wait for people to see it.
 
Sara Tomko: Yeah, that's a great one. They are going through some shit, that family.
 
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

---