Adding a Ridley Scott project to one’s filmography is prestigious. But landing one is just as hard. Actor Adarsh Gourav, who is seen as the character Slightly in Alien: Earth that has Scott as the executive producer, recalled that he bagged the Noah Crawley-directed web series after auditions that ran into hundreds. “This project came to me at a time when I had almost stopped expecting it. It was my most challenging audition process so far. I had to go through over 150 auditions before I finally landed this role. On days, it felt exhausting, and I kept questioning if I was even heading in the right direction. The irony is that the opportunity came from a genre I knew the least about — science fiction,” he recounted.
Ridley Scott
Gourav’s first sci-fi outing comes with a legacy of its own. The international web series, which began streaming from August 12, is part of the Alien film franchise that started with Scott’s 1979 movie. Set in the 22nd century, Alien: Earth stars Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, and Timothy Olyphant, and sees Gourav, 31, playing a 10-year-old.
Given the unusual role, the preparation understandably was unusual before the show rolled in Thailand in March 2024. “Children live with a sense of abandon and freedom that we often lose as adults. I had to rewire myself — observe kids around me, understand their energy, their innocence, and their unpredictability. To prepare, I spent a lot of time with kids, watching how they react to situations, and their bursts of silliness and distraction. It wasn’t just about playing younger; it was about living like a child, which is far harder than it sounds.”
(L-R) Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, and Timothy Olyphant
To get into the part psychologically, Gourav underwent workshops in Bangkok. That laid the foundation for his character. Elaborating about it, the actor shared, “We attended sessions with a child psychologist named April in Bangkok, where we did fun exercises like drawing, making clay sculptures, sharing our childhood stories, even interacting with our own ‘childhood versions’. It was both therapeutic and insightful. I also watched hours of content on YouTube, especially HiHo Kids, where children engage with people and ask the most innocent questions. That reminded me how children see the world so differently. Ultimately, when you have such a well-defined script and character, you surrender to it.”