Resident Alien is wrapping its third season and things are becoming interesting. Inspired by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse’s comic books of the same name, the crash-landed alien named Harry, whose “secret mission is to kill all humans,” is having a change of heart as the resident of Patience continue to grow on him. Fans have seen Harry “vowing to work with General McCallister (Linda Hamilton) to rid the Earth of the Grey aliens – a task made more difficult when he discovers the Grey Hybrid Joseph (Enver Gjokaj) has taken a job in town as the new Deputy. While there is a literal alien takeover planned, Kayla (played by actress Sarah Podemski), the cousin to Asta Twelvetrees (Sara Tomko), human confidante of the titular shape-shifting extraterrestrial (Alan Tudyk) is blissfully unaware of Harry’s ongoings but wouldn’t be surprised by it.
The Koalition spoke to Podemski to learn more about Kayla, her thoughts on season three, her favorite scenes and the importance of Native American representation both on and off screen.
What would you say is Kayla’s mindset right now?
“Kayla is one of the people that doesn’t know what going on. She’s doing okay, she just doesn’t know Harry’s an alien, she just thinks this guy is totally nuts. She’s in ignorant bless.”
What would like to happen for her this season and in her life?
“I’m not quite sure. I enjoy being an audience member. I did see a lot of stuff that was outside of the scripts I was part of which I like because I’m able to watch it, be surprised and go on this journey with everybody. I feel like I’ll have a better idea once I watch the rest of the show with everyone and then put it all together in my mind at the same time. It really is a surprise for me too.”
What was the most surprising aspect this season outside of what Kayla was involved with?
“My favorite was the bird species. It’s just such a joy to watch how insane we can go. Anything is up for storytelling, and I really loved the first episode where we’re introduced to her. I’m always constantly surprised with like the performances and the writing. Everything is such a treat too. It’s a gift that keep’s unwrapping and there’s all these presents inside.”
What was the best moment for Kayla this season?
“I got to do a scene with my sister Jennifer [Podemski] in the diner when Kate comes in and that was just such a special time because I don’t get to act with her. It’s maybe happened one or two times, but it was just such a treat to be able to hang out with my sister on set and be in a scene with her. When you get to have people you know, come on to a set you’ve been on for a few years, it’s just really exciting. [It] was so awesome to be able to watch that episode and see us see us together. That was my favorite part.”
Resident Season 3’s ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ touches on the themes of family. If Kayla could kind of interact with family more, who do you see her really interacting with the most?
“The relationship with Asta and Jay and that sisterhood has always been really important to Kayla. I [would love to see] more of a development of the sisterhood and the kinship. Asta’s got a lot going on and the wonderful thing about Kayla is she’s such a strong support. I just love seeing those female characters bonding in ways we don’t really get to see and problem solving. There’s so many amazing female actors and characters in this show. I loved our girl’s night episode which was just so fun. There’s five women on screen, holy moly. When do we get to see five women on screen? Those moments of realizing how great the casting, the writing, these actors are, and how great they are as humans. I love being able to spend time with them. Any more time I get to spend with them, the better.”
What does that kinship / friendship give Kayla?
“It gives her purpose and meaning. To have friendships where you feel acknowledged and loved and supported gives confidence and self-respect. Kayla feels really utilized especially with Asta because she watches her go through a lot of different changes and emotional arcs. Being a good friend and being able to be there for her is really a sense of accomplishment for Kayla.”
Kayla doesn’t know about Harry, The Graves, the baby alien. What would she think of all of this?
She may be in a bit of shock, but she wouldn’t be surprised because I’ve done a lot of scenes with Alan [Tudyk] where he’s acting super loopy, and I just don’t know what’s wrong with him. It would make sense to her and for me. I grew up with stories of the Star People and us having relations with people who were creatures in the universe. There’s a knowing in certain communities. There are obviously people up there, it’s the whole universe. Of course, there’s people out there and some [Native American] stories have us interacting with them. It wouldn’t be a surprise. It would make sense to her with what’s happening, and it would just be proof it’s happening in real life.”
Resident Alien showcases Native American culture within the show, was you able to contribute ideas?
“The wonderful thing is we’ve had such an inclusive experience. I’ve been able to share ideas. Even the Wardrobe Department has been amazing with offering to bring in Native designers and certain things, which doesn’t happen often. It’s really nice to know people are being extremely thoughtful and they don’t want it to be a trope. They don’t want to be caught in these stereotypes. Each season has a Native writer on it which is super helpful so we can have context for who these characters are in the world and in the community, so we’re accurate. We have consultants. It’s been really amazing to see the work that has been put in to make sure we’re being represented accurately, and Native actors are being recognized just as actors and people on set. We understand we’re definitely underrepresented in this industry and seeing Native characters being cast in just non-Native roles just to be casted as a character. It’s meant a lot and it’s been a really incredible experience. I hope we get to see more of that in the future from other productions.”
Was there a piece whether it be a material or a clothing design that brought you pride to see on the show?
“I had some amazing earrings made by some Native artists. I love my beaded earrings. When I get to use my earrings as a character, I’m very happy. There were some beautiful artists that made some earrings I got to wear which was such a nice treat because it’s really big in our community and I don’t know if Native viewers know that. It’s always nice to give a shout out to Native artists and artisans. In another episode in the last season, at the at the market, we had a few Native booths there, which was really cool, and people got to pretend to sell their stuff. They were included in the scene and being there in the community, it was just fun to be able to see other Native people on set and invite them into this world we’re creating.”
Are you the kind of actress who creates a backstory even though the audience may not see it?
“Sometimes when you come to a character, and you come to a set everyone has very different ideas of what’s happening, or they have their own story and sometimes you have to put away the work you’ve done. [You] know it’s in your brain but also be open to what the director thinks the backstory is, what the writers think the backstory is and what the character you’re working with has created in their backstory. I really like the collaboration of figuring out what you know, who are we, where do we come from, what is our backstory. I do rely a lot on writers, directors and other actors to share that because there’s a lot we can do in our head as actors that we can get committed to and try and hold on to but when you get to set, you’re working with all these other creative people that have different ideas. So, I try and find the balance of doing the work, coming to set, and being able to surrender for what’s needed in the scene or what’s needed on the day. I think [it’s] important just to be flexible.”
