Terry O'Quinn Has One Regret About Resident Alien's Cyborg Alien Tracker: "I Wasn't..."
How could any actor turn down the chance to play an alien-obsessed UFO expert-turned-cyborg?
The question of whether he'd play an alien-obsessed UFO expert-turned-badass-cyborg on Resident Alien was easily answered for veteran actor Terry O'Quinn.
"It sounded great to me," he told USA Insider over Zoom when we asked how he first landed the role of Peter Bach, aka the Alien Tracker. "So I said, 'Yes, please!'"
Introduced in the penultimate episode of Season 1 ("Welcome Aliens"), Bach became a recurring staple of the series, thanks, in part, to the rare genetic anomaly that allowed him to see right through alien disguises, just like Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn).
Bach's preoccupation with extra-terrestrials began 30 years before the events of the show, when his unborn child was abducted straight out of his wife's pregnant belly (the nefarious work of the Greys, as we'd later learn).
"That sort of lent a little weight to that whole situation and character," said the actor, who has just one big regret about his role in the hit science fiction series.
"I wasn’t in it enough to make me completely happy because I’m such a fan of the show," he admitted. "But I was happy to be there when I was. When I found out where my son was, [I] got there, got to see him, died, and then became robot-man. It all happened in fits and starts."
Working with "gentleman" Alan Tudyk on Resident Alien
Everything clicked into place, however, during Bach's big emotional scene with Harry Vanderspeigle (Alan Tudyk) in Season 4, Episode 5: "The Human Condition." After confessing that he feels neither alien nor human, the troubled Harry receives sage wisdom from the cyborg man: there's no need to choose. An individual can be 100 percent of each.
"That was kind of sweet and helped me become, in my mind, who I was supposed to be," added O'Quinn, who really enjoyed getting to work alongside someone as talented as Tudyk. "He’s a gentleman [and] obviously, he’s a pro. He works hard, but I think he’s kind of a genius. Just the funniest stuff and I can’t imagine doing it or doing it nearly as well."
Where do Peter Bach and his son go from here after Resident Alien?
Bach finally gets to reunite with his son, Robert (Paul Piaskowski), in Season 4, Episode 9, "Tunnel Vision," after destroying the newly-hatched Mantid babies with a stream of flames.
"The first time we shot it, I came in and I went 'shhhh' [mimicking flame noises]," O'Quinn remembered. "And they said, ‘We’ll make the sound. You don’t have to make that sound.’”
The process of turning the actor into "robot-man" was not terribly complex. In fact, O'Quinn says it "was actually pretty simple."
"I think when we first started out with it it was a little more elaborate, but that didn’t seem to be working as far as my movement," he explained "In original form, it was a little restrictive, but once they started using special effects, it was really just a matter of applying the eye and a couple pieces of wardrobe, putting a big scar on my head. A bit of this and that — not really a problem."
While Bach initially turned on his government puppeteers at the end of Season 3, he ended up coming back to them with a take-it-or-leave-it deal: Help him find his son and he'll do their bidding whenever they ask. Where will the two Bach boys go from here?
"Really, no idea," O'Quinn said. "He has said he will help the government with the 'alien situation,' but as far as where they’ll go... God knows. Aruba?"
You know? After the snowy landscape of Patience, a tropical beach actually sounds rather nice!
Terry O'Quinn talks Lost, Patriot & more
Our conversation also included O'Quinn's involvement in a number of fan-favorite genre projects over the years, including mainstream favorites like Lost and the The Stepfather, as well as lesser-appreciated titles like Patriot and Perpetual Grace, LTD.
"I’ve been very fortunate in some of the roles I’ve gotten and it’s been wonderful to get a positive response from fans," he said. "I’ve also been in some projects that were canceled well before I thought they should have been, but overall, I’ve been very fortunate and I’m grateful for those ones that got such a positive reception. I still meet people who remember The Stepfather, which was, let’s face it, a long time ago.
"Of course, a lot of people saw and speak of Lost, and I appreciate that," he added. "But I also appreciate the people who loved Patriot, which I thought died too early as well as Perpetual Grace, LTD, which only had one season, unfortunately. All in all, I enjoy talking to people about those projects and any they might remember. I generally enjoy interacting with folks."
All four seasons of Resident Alien will be available to stream on Peacock starting next Friday, August 15.
