Resident Alien Creator Shocked They Got Away with This One Scene: "Playing by Different Rules"
Got milk?
From the word go, Alan Tudyk did not hold back on his fish-out-of-water performance as the fake Harry Vanderspeigle in Resident Alien (all episodes will be available to stream exclusively on Peacock beginning August 15).
Even after discovering the humanity deep within himself, the character was still doing and saying odd, inappropriate, and offensive things — never quite sure how to act around our species. Such quirky awkwardness led to much of the show's comedic moments as other citizens of Patience, Colorado struggled to comprehend his bizarre behavior.
But there's one insane Harry moment above all others that creator, showrunner, and executive producer Chris Sheridan is still shocked they were able to get away with.
Resident Alien showrunner still in disbelief he got away with this scene
"I mean, an alien sucking milk out of a cow's teat was kind of a highlight," Sheridan tells USA Insider over Zoom, referring to the flashback sequence in Season 1, Episode 2 ("Homesick"). "I figured, standards-wise, we could probably get away with it. But just getting away with it from a story standpoint, that moment was when I realized that we were sort of playing by different rules with this character, that we can do big, broad, crazy things like Harry sucking the cow's teat; or Harry humping a vending machine to get chips out of it; or Harry scooting along the ground like a dog on his ass; or Harry, as an alien with a cowboy hat, riding a horse."
He continues: "It's really big, crazy, funny stuff, but because it's still within Harry's reality, it doesn't feel too broad or cartoony. You don't lose the stakes of the show by showing those big moments as long as Harry's involved in them. But it gave us a lot of leeway, comedically, to take advantage of Alan's physicality. It was an eye opener to me that those moments killed every time. I love trying to push the envelope of those things and seeing what we get away with."
The same could be said for the way Harry treated Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn) shortly after arriving on Earth.
"It’s a 45-year-old man calling a 10-year-old kid a d***head and an a**hole — and getting away with it somehow," the showrunner explains. "And we [as the viewer] think it’s funny. The fact fact that he's this man, but effectively, a 10-year-old, emotionally, [so] they were on the same playing field. So [you have a] kid who wants to be best friends with an alien, but the alien is also a kid and trying to figure out what humor is, how to get along, and what friendship is."
Sheridan is also very partial to Harry's relationship with 42, the talking octopus played by Tudyk's fellow Firefly alum, Nathan Fillion. You may recall, Harry meet the cephalopod (a distant relative of his own species) at a sushi restaurant all the way back in Season 1 before he was forced to consume the tentacled sea creature a season later.
"It's insane," Sheridan agrees. "The thing dies and he gives it mouth-to-mouth to its butt mouth. Its final request is to eat him with a Chardonnay out of respect, and then Harry ends up eating his friend. It's insanity, but it was so funny. So funny to shoot, so funny to watch. I loved all of that stuff."
All four seasons of Resident Alien will be available to stream on Peacock starting this Friday, August 15.
