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Louise Thomas
Editor
Viewers of Alien: Romulus around the world are praising one British actor’s performance in particular.
Released on Friday (16 August), the film is the seventh entry in the 45-year-old Alien franchise, which began in 1979 with Ridley Scott’s classic.
The film has received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics, with its score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes currently sitting at a favourable 86 per cent audience score based on over 2,500 reviews.
Romulus follows a small crew led by Rain (played by Civil War’s Cailee Spaeny) who come face-to-face with a terrifying life-form while scavenging a derelict space station.
While there has been considerable praise for the cast as a whole, fans have singled out Spaeny’s co-star, the British actor David Jonsson as a particular highlight. Jonsson plays Andy, the android of Rain’s late father.
“Every performance in Alien: Romulus is great but David Jonsson is next level,” wrote one person.
Another added: “David Jonsson as Andy is one of my favourite performances this year.”
Several people claimed that Jonsson “stole the show”, with some calling him a “terrific standout” and the “heart of the film”. “Perfection,” is how one fan described Jonsson’s performance.
david jonsson should be included in awards conversations for his performance in alien romulus i'm so serious
— bald ann dowd (@ali_sivi) August 18, 2024
Every performance in Alien: Romulus is great but David Jonsson is next level. pic.twitter.com/cMrj1zWeCG
— Peter Screamhiavo 👻 (@schiavo_peter) August 16, 2024
“The cast was amazing, but David Jonsson as Andy was particularly outstanding,” said someone else in a four-star review of the film.
Another wrote: “I cannot overstate how f***ing good David Jonsson is in Alien: Romulus. A genuinely star-making role.”
On Reddit, a post that reads “Can we give a round of applause to David Jonsson as Andy?” has received 1,300 likes with commenters commending the actor on his “creepy” stellar performance.
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Try for freeEvery performance in Alien: Romulus is great but David Jonsson is next level. pic.twitter.com/cMrj1zWeCG
— Peter Screamhiavo 👻 (@schiavo_peter) August 16, 2024
David Jonson is the break out star of #AlienRomulus His performance of Andy the Synthetic was incredible! Andy stole the show and was the MVP & heart of the film! pic.twitter.com/BpVQTk30pG
— KYLE B. (@digital__junkie) August 17, 2024
“He stole the show,” wrote one person, while another wrote: “This guy played the part perfectly. Was very convincing with his mannerisms and twitches.”
With a background in theatre, Jonsson, 31, is best known for his role as Gus on HBO’s fast-paced financial drama Industry, which he has since quit due to scheduling conflicts and a desire to try new things.
He also won acclaim last year for his lead role in the Bafta-nominated rom-com Rye Lane, in which he starred opposite Vivian Oparah.
Alien: Romulus, however, looks set to introduce Jonsson to an ever larger audience.
Speaking about his performance as the android, he told GQ: “I wanted to make Andy, Andy. I actually think it’s a disservice when I say I wanted to make him my own, which I have said before, and it’s not true.
“On the page, he’s this brilliant character. He’s got almost two sides to him, and he’s going through a bit of a coming-of-age.”
He highlighted the unsung performance of Winona Ryder as an android in 1997’s Alien: Resurrection.
“When I look at all the other synthetic characters in the franchise, [Michael] Fassbender … you know someone who people always leave off? Winona Ryder, and I thought she was brilliant.”
In a three-star review of the film, The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “While Spaeny makes for a fine new Ellen Ripley, Jonsson’s performance is the clear standout.
“Andy is radically different to Ian Holm’s Ash or Michael Fassbender’s David, but the actor shares in their fine-tuned ability to control expression to signal a shift in thought or demeanour.”
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