Note: This story contains spoilers from “Alien: Earth” Episode 6.
“Alien: Earth” is full of “Peter Pan” allusions and Boy Kavalier sits at the heart of many of them.
The Prodigy CEO created an island compound he calls Neverland, has created a handful of hybrids with the minds of children — his favorite being Wendy (Sydney Chandler) — and he clearly fancies himself as Pan. Samuel Blenkin told TheWrap TheWrap that Kavalier turning the story into a “hero’s journey” is a fun but dangerous misinterpretation.
“Clearly, this has been a formative piece of literature for him,” he said. “And what he’s done is he’s turned ‘Peter Pan’ into a hero’s journey, and he is the hero, and the hero is Peter Pan, and he is Peter Pan. I kind of love that misinterpretation.”
That boyish, Peter Pan quality is on full display in Episode 6. Kavalier heads to a meeting with Weyland Yutani and squares off with his personal rival Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindiver). The Prodigy CEO swaggers in pajama-adjacent clothes and his bare feet. The idea to go shoeless as often as possible, and especially in this meeting, was an idea Blenkin had immediately.
“I’ve read the script, and I was like: ‘Bare feet, Peter Pan references, it’s gotta be bare feet for sure,’” he said. Obviously, I spoke to our amazing costume designer and Noah [Hawley], and they were like ‘we’re way ahead of you.’ We did have shoes ready, but then as the shoot went on I was quite insistent about this guy doesn’t wear shoes. He doesn’t. It’s a weird trillionaire thing. He doesn’t wear shoes, and that’s just who he is because he’s an arrogant piece of work.”
Kavalier’s arrogance extends far beyond just throwing his bare feet on the tabletop during the meeting. The two CEOs meet to discuss handing over the aliens Kavalier confiscated when Yutani’s ship crashed into Prodigy City. Boy comes out not only getting to keep the aliens for weeks before handing them to Yutani — giving him a major head start on studying them — but also a few billion dollars richer. Through it all, Kavalier is complaining about boredom, both sitting and laying on the conference table, and more. Blenkin says this was his way of playing the “disruptor.”
“What he loves is playing the role of the disruptor,” he said. “So any situation where he can take on the role of like ‘you’re a big, giant, slow company and you’ve just been plodding along, but I’m coming for you — and I’m fast and scary. You should be scared of any situation where he can project that he’s in his element.”
Blenkin added: “I think that’s exactly the reason why he’s doing it. It’s disrespect. … That was also an extra level of fun doing that, because it is just so rude to do it in that situation. I just think that a character like that, you want to push it to the extremes, but always keep it just below caricature and in believability.”
For anyone growing tired of Kavalier’s antics, his time is certainly coming. While he was away winning his board room battle against Yutani, chaos erupted at Neverland. The aliens are loose, a Lost Boy and scientist are dead, and Joe (Alex Lawther) is plotting his escape with Wendy. The Prodigy CEO has been winning all season — and seemingly all his life — but Blenkin assures that his just desserts are fast approaching.
“All I’ll say is that he’s asking for it,” he said. “He’s been asking for it all season.”
“Alien: Earth” airs Tuesdays on FX and Hulu.
