FX's upcoming series 'Alien: Earth' faced a setback when its lead actress, Sydney Chandler, failed to attend a scheduled Variety cover shoot. The 29-year-old actor, who plays the hybrid character Wendy, was set to appear alongside co-star Timothy Olyphant and showrunner Noah Hawley. However, after prolonged negotiations over participation in a video interview, Chandler pulled out on the day of the shoot, citing illness and a lack of response from her stylist and glam team.
Chandler had initially agreed to be photographed but expressed discomfort with a standard video game segment, 'How Well Do They Know Each Other?,' which she felt involved 'two older men'—her 57-year-old co-star and 58-year-old showrunner. Despite offers to show sample questions, Chandler eventually declined all video participation. Her publicist confirmed her absence shortly before the shoot, after earlier indicating she would attend.
In a subsequent phone interview, Chandler explained her decision as a personal boundary. 'I'm just a private person,' she said. 'I'm new to press — it's a bit out of my comfort zone. I was more than happy to talk about anything and everything about the show; that's what I'm here to promote.' Hawley expressed disappointment, noting that the series is built around Chandler's character. 'It felt awkward to be there with Tim without her,' he said.
Chandler, daughter of Emmy winner Kyle Chandler, emerged from a background outside Hollywood, having grown up in Texas. Hawley praised her performance, calling her 'truly a star.' 'Alien: Earth' is a high-stakes project for FX, which hopes it will become a blockbuster akin to 'Game of Thrones' or 'The Last of Us.' The series, based on the iconic film franchise, is set to premiere on Aug. 12.
