The time is here for another season of Resident Alien. Of course, that means more of our “likable AH” Sheriff Mike Thompson.
Corey Reynolds sat down with us to talk about Mike. We discussed the growth of his personality after some of the reveals in Season 2 and just what he thinks is going on in his town. After all, this man does not believe in aliens. It definitely cannot be aliens.
Seeing the layers of Sheriff Mike revealed in Resident Alien
There are a lot of layers to Mike, even though he probably doesn’t want to admit it. What’s it been like for Reynolds to play this character for the last two seasons and still keep us entertained now?
"“It is the most fun I’ve ever had. This is the best job I’ve ever had. I’ve never had a work experience where I’ve had so much influence over the character. I had someone describe him to me once as a ‘likable a*****e’ and they were saying that’s a tough needle to thread...you get to this point this guy is kind of nuts, but you come to expect it from him.”"
We got further into the character and how his personality was created. After all, our personalities as adults always come from events that have happened in our past.
"“He’s a complicated character because his bravado and his overconfidence is absolutely inspired by his huge insecurity that lies within him, like most people. When you’re afraid of someone discovery that you don’t like about yourself, you do everything to hide that from the world. So, for someone like him who has experience that loss that we came to discover in Season 2, he had that hole paved over and a ‘do not trespass’ and some spikes. He made sure it stayed completely covered.”"
Of course, Deputy Liv managed to get through that shell. Mike and Liv have become this old married couple on the show, and it’s been so great to see them grow in that.
"“She was the first to get him, and she was the first, for him, that he allowed his guard down. I think he’s come to trust her and value her in ways that he’s been afraid to let people get that close to him for some time. He’s a complicated guy.”"
Getting to know Mike’s backstory and developing it
A lot of actors have found out more about their characters as they started Season 2. Showrunner Chris Sheridan didn’t want to give away too much, but needed to share enough to help craft the character. How long did it take for Reynolds to learn more about Mike and that painful backstory that now lives in him?
For those who don’t remember and need a bit of a reminder, Mike is still haunted by the death of his long-time partner, Jesse. He has never dealt with the loss that happened on duty, and it’s something that he fears will happen again to Liv. It’s clear that he cares deeply about Liv.
"“At the beginning of every season, usually we get a call or a meet up with [Chris Sheridan], and we discuss ideas. He tells you what he’s seeing and gets your input on that. That experience of loss and him not understanding grief and death and never having that wound really heal, it caused him to walk with an emotional limp for a long time. I think that’s something people can relate to. I know I can relate to that in the sense of what a traumatic incident how that can shape everything about you without you knowing.”"
Of course, he’s also a straight-laced guy. He’s smart, but he doesn’t want to admit that aliens are really out there. It’s created some excellent storytelling as he deals with the murder of the alien tracker. So, what does Mike really think is going on?
"“I think he thinks this is some sort of conspiracy of some kind. He’s entertaining at the end of the season…I think he believes something is going on undoubtably. Whether or not it’s little space people, I think he thinks it’s a tool that the government is going to use to cover things up…He’s smart enough to know this isn’t a coincidence.”"
Something that has been fun is Mike knowing that Harry is up to something. Harry isn’t everything he says that he is, and that means figuring out what that is. Of course, Mike cannot admit that Harry is an alien.
"“We were on the right track and Harry shifted some thoughts around, which was nice because it gave Mike a memory that he…hadn’t had since he was a kid. It’s hard to investigate a slippery six-armed or four-armed alien.”"
Take a look at the whole interview with Corey Reynolds for Resident Alien Season 3 below:
Resident Alien Season 3 premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 14 on SYFY. Catch up the following day on Peacock.