It was her incredibly intoxicating performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice that cemented Katherine Waterston's future star status, and now here she is two years later playing integral roles in two major franchises. First there was her turn as Tina in this past November's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and she's about to lead Ridley Scott's newest Alien movie, Alien: Covenant, due in theaters on May 19, 2017.

In advance of Alien: Covenant's trailer debut (see below), Fandango sat down with Waterston to dig a little deeper into this new Alien movie. Who does she play, how does this connect to the franchise's larger universe and what makes this bloody new iteration different from everything that's come before? Plus, Waterston also teases that Alien: Covenant may not be the last we see of her character going forward.

First, here's the trailer. (You can watch the R-rated trailer here)

Fandango: One of the more fascinating things about this movie is that there are a lot of couples on this ship you’re on. That’s something we haven’t really seen from an Alien movie yet – one where many of its characters are couples and have a deep personal connection to each other.

Katherine Waterston: Yeah, no. It’s cool because there’s all kinds of different dynamics. There’s people where maybe you see them the way they like to show themselves in front of the whole crew, and then you see them with their partner, and maybe they’re more vulnerable. It’s a great way to introduce the audience to these people. You also have these subgroups, too. Couples who are friends with another couple, and so on.

Fandango: It’s more personal when people know each other.

Waterston: I think it’s very much in the spirit of the original in that way. They’re coworkers, they all know each other. They’ve been selected because they can deal with being in close quarters with other people. That’s a real thing that’s important when astronauts are training – are you going to be able to cope in this environment?

Fandango: How much of Alien: Covenant is tied into the events of Prometheus, besides the return of Michael Fassbender’s character?

Waterston: I can say that it’s tied to it, but I’m not sure if I can say anything else.

Fandango: But it shares bloodlines with Prometheus?

Waterston: Totally.

Fandango: Is this one more Alien or Aliens, do you think?

Waterston: Well they’re saying it’s fit in between Prometheus and the first Alien, and I think even in tone that’s the right place for it. I think it will have a lot of the elements of the original Alien, and then some Prometheus in there too.

Fandango: What separates this from the other Alien movies? What’s different about it?

Waterston: I think the direction to poke around in is what would compel Ridley Scott to return to this world? He is a man with many interests and movies he wants to make. That was one of my questions, too…

Fandango: Why another Alien movie?

Waterston: Yes, and it’s just, for him, it’s still so exciting and fresh – and in that way he’s like a lot of the fans. He wants more answers. And while I never heard it from him – I think I read it somewhere – in this one he’s trying to explore how the original Alien could happen. What are these aliens? How did they get… how did this all happen? I do think that question is interesting, and I do think he’s exploring it.

Fandango: Do you audition for a film like this? How did you land this part?

Waterston: Well Ridley doesn’t really love auditioning, but they thought it’d be a good idea. I hadn’t worked with a studio before, and they wanted to see what I could do with it. So I did do a tape, but I had already met with Ridley. He’s very instinctual about casting. He said to me, "You were in that movie with Joaquin Phoenix. I like him. He’s a good actor." I said, "Yeah, I agree." He said, "You’re a good actor too." I said, "Thank you very much." Then he said, "I don’t like to get in an actor’s way. They know what they’re doing. Obviously if they’re lost or in a bad way, I can help, but I’ve got a lot of other stuff to focus on. You do your thing. You bring it in and show it to me." So I said, "Yeah, that sounds cool."

Fandango: So who is your character? What’s her deal? How does she fit into this mission?

Waterston: She’s a space gardener! She’s a terraformist. She’s there to help set up life on a new planet; to help grow things. Everyone [on the ship] has different skills that we’ll need to use.

Fandango: How many people are on the ship? A few hundred?

Waterston: No, 2,000 people!

Fandango: The first trailer is great, and it ends with what we imagine will go down as another classic shower scene. Is that your shower scene?

Waterston: I don’t know… [Laughs]

Fandango: Shower scenes are so important when it comes to horror movies, and I think they're so scary because we’re at our most vulnerable in the shower.

Waterston: Shower scenes are great. Janet Leigh never took a shower again in her life after Psycho. Did you know that?

Fandango: Really?

Waterston: So she said. It’s a good point. You’re very vulnerable in there.

Fandango: When did you feel the most vulnerable while making this movie?

Waterston: A lot. I can’t go into specifics, but I felt vulnerable a lot while making this movie, in lots of different ways. It’s a really wonderfully drawn character, really complicated. She gets to go through so much.

Fandango: When we spoke the other night, you said some of the aliens were practical on set. They weren’t all created with computers.

Waterston: Yes, we had wonderful stunt men in costumes – ya know, to give you that feeling of being pursued. And also sometimes they like to shoot the way that they move because it’s better than a CGI movement.

Fandango: How badass are you in this movie? Do you start off at a place where you’re scared, and then evolve?

Waterston: That’s the thing… I mean we all wonder in the face of a serious crisis, will we cower in fear or will we fight? Will we rise to the occasion? You just don’t know until it happens to you. I think if [my character] was interviewed at the beginning of the film and asked if she would rise to the occasion, she probably would not think she’d be too impressive. Eventually it emerges that she has that courage.

Fandango: Did you watch other Alien movies in preparation for this? Does Ridley Scott give you movies to watch to prepare for this, in terms of tone?

Waterston: No, not really. I talk to Ridley about other movies all the time because I’m a fan of old movies, and he’s seen everything. I don’t really work like that. I read a lot. I read a lot of Carl Sagan before doing this, and for some reason I read Joan Didion. Sometimes you find yourself digging around for something useful, and you don’t necessarily know what it is until you find it. Sometimes it’s a word from a book that you read every day. When you’re making a movie, sometimes you need something that will keep you in the right headspace, and I had some things like that on this.

Fandango: A lot of people say your character has ties to Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley…

Waterston: Yeah, people are saying that, but I know nothing about that. It doesn’t mean that it’s not true, but I don’t know.

Fandango: And what about the future – are you signed on for more of these Alien movies or is this just a one-off thing?

Waterston: I think I am…

Fandango: So we might see you again in another Alien movie?

Waterston: I think it’s possible. But people have to like these movies for them to make more. We’ll see.

 

Alien: Covenant is in theaters May 19.