Predator: Badlands’ Elle Fanning Confirms It’s Not Easy to Play Multiple Characters in One Scene (Exclusive)

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The trailer for Predator: Badlands caused a stir earlier this year when fans realized its connection to the Alien movies. A quick glimpse of Elle Fanning’s character, Thia, revealed she’s a synthetic human created by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. But that wasn’t all – Fanning also plays Tessa, another synthetic from the same company. This meant she had to act alongside herself in certain scenes, which was challenging, though the final result looks smooth and effortless.

While promoting Predator: Badlands, actress Olivia Fanning explained the challenges of playing multiple characters within the same scenes. She and director Dan Trachtenberg focused on making each character very different from the others, aiming for maximum contrast. The process involved working with other actors, including stunt doubles, who would wear the suit and perform parts of the scene, allowing Fanning to react and build off their performance. It required careful memory and flexibility, as she had to track her previous performances and anticipate how her reactions would fit with the footage they ultimately chose. She needed to provide Trachtenberg with plenty of options during filming, because when she was playing one character, someone else was performing as the other. It was a complex process, but ultimately very satisfying and rewarding.

Synthetics Play a Key Role in Predator: Badlands

I’m really excited about Predator: Badlands because it’s doing something totally new with the series – we actually get to see things from the Predator’s point of view! Director Trachtenberg initially wanted the movie to focus only on the Yautja, thinking it would help us connect with the main character, Dek. Since there aren’t any humans, robots are going to be a big part of the story. We already know Dek and Thia team up as Dek tries to prove himself to his clan, but honestly, they’ve been keeping Tessa’s role pretty mysterious in the trailers so far, which is making me even more curious!

Fanning’s hint that her two characters are “polar opposites” is open to interpretation. It could mean they’ll be rivals, with Thia assisting Dek and Tessa working against him for reasons we don’t yet know. Alternatively, Fanning might simply be pointing out that the two synthetic characters have very different personalities, making them easier to tell apart. Whatever Tessa’s role ends up being, it seems like a demanding acting performance for Fanning, who is clearly capable of playing multiple, unique characters. It will be fascinating to see how their relationship develops.

The new movie Predator: Badlands features one actor playing two synthetic characters in the same scene, which will likely remind fans of Michael Fassbender’s dual role in Alien: Covenant. While the movie appears to be a return to the action-packed style of previous Predator films – early reviews praise its intense and violent action sequences – it also seems to be pushing the boundaries of what a Predator movie can be. Don’t expect the deep, philosophical questions explored in the Alien prequels, but the interaction between the characters Thia and Tessa might offer a hint of those themes. Given how common AI and advanced technology are today, it would be a missed opportunity if Badlands didn’t address these ideas in some way.

Whether they succeed or not in Badlands, Thia and Tessa mark a new step forward for the synthetic characters created by Weyland-Yutani. The creator, Fanning, has said she was inspired by David Jonsson’s portrayal of the synthetic Andy in Alien: Romulus, which gave her the confidence to develop these robots in her own way. Synthetic characters, going all the way back to Ash in the original Alien, have always been among the most compelling figures in the franchise, and Fanning’s creations have the potential to join their ranks.

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2025-11-06 00:40