A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
Acting in science fiction is a dream for a lot of performers—perhaps something you, yourself harbour as a lofty career goal. And why shouldn’t you? It’s a helluva lot of fun to play in, and can be used to explore some heavy, intriguing themes about our own existence in the universe. If you’ve ever found yourself intrigued by the genre, but weren’t sure where to start, this article should give you enough info to put yourself on the right path.
Acting in science fiction requires an understanding of the genre, the logic of the story and the rules of the story world. However, it also calls on performers to balance the technical details with a deep understanding of their character’s humanity, even if that character might be a robot, or unknown alien species. Science fiction hinges upon the actor’s ability to connect their story to the lived experience of the audience. No matter how fantastic the setting of the story might be.
What is Science Fiction?
Science fiction is a story genre concerned with futuristic and technology-driven concepts such as space exploration, extra-terrestrial life, robotics and time travel. It is sometimes classified as a sub-genre or variation of “speculative fiction”, in which an author poses hypothetical questions to a reader/audience about the world we live in today.
While science fiction is often set in fantastical worlds, it draws heavy inspiration from contemporary society and culture. It is therefore a popular genre with which to explore lofty moral, political, social and cultural themes—once removed from our own reality by its setting and genre tropes.
And since its inception (arguably in 1818 with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) the genre has enjoyed continued interest from audiences across multiple types of media. Science fiction offers an exciting escape from reality to its audience, a keen eye on the world of today and what is yet to come…
Acting in Science Fiction
If you’re reading this article, we’re going to assume that your interests are not purely hypothetical. So if you want to book roles and act in science fiction films, series and related projects, there are certain things you’ll want to keep in mind when performing. We’ve broken down four major things to remember about acting in science fiction in the sections below:
#1 Know the World, Know the Rules
Okay, let’s say you’ve nailed the audition, landed the part and you’re blasting off on this new acting adventure. Where do you begin with an entirely new world? Or galaxy?
Start with some solid script analysis. Learn the rules of the story and understand how they bring a sense of reason to the narrative. While science fiction might be fantastical, it’s grounded in some kind of scientific or logical progression of current technology, politics or society. Can you trace these influences into the story or its themes, to understand how this world might feel real and natural to your character?
This step will probably require some group effort. Collaborate with your fellow actors, consult with your director and see what kind of shared understanding you can develop. It goes without saying if you’re working from adapted material, know the story as it’s existed before your production. The more you know the story world and its rules, the more truthful your performance will feel to audiences. Science fiction should always feel ‘lived in’. Alive.
#2 Find the Human
We often think of science fiction stories as tales of technology, aliens, futuristic worlds and galactic-scale conflict. The truth is, the best science fiction stories are about what it means to be human. When we have the power of the gods, who do we become? If faced with a species-wide threat, how do we react? How does the existence of new life, terrible and terrifying, make us think about the lives we lead today?
As performer acting in science fiction, your job is always to bring the human angle to the story. Lead with empathy; plot the course of your character through the story by considering their objectives and the actions they take to pursue them. No matter how big the battles, how deadly the aliens or powerful the tech, you mustn’t lose sight of the humans at the centre of the story.
If you’re playing an alien … it’s actually the same thing. Find the humanity in the alien (or robot, or sentient swamp gas) just as you might the compassion in a villainous human character. Often, the worst creatures in the universe turn out to be ourselves. Science fiction explores this better than most other genres.
#3 Technobabble
“Flux the generator back into the micro-holo-transponder coupling, or the Trxkn Raiders will surely melph our forward shields!”
Sooner or later, when acting in science fiction, you’re going to encounter something called “technobabble”. It’s a name given to the half-nonsensical technical jargon characters often find themselves saying. It could refer to futuristic technology, an ancient alien religion, or some aspect of galactic culture.
Technobabble is something of a necessary evil in science fiction. Often, it can help establish and ground the world of the story, and illustrate the knowledge or expertise of a character. That’s not to say it flows off the tongue. In an interview with GQ magazine, Harrison Ford of Star Wars fame talks about a famous clash with George Lucas over his technobabble in A New Hope: “You can type this shit, but you can’t say it.”
Our suggestion for technobabble actually stems from our advice on performing Shakespeare’s words. Even if the audience is unclear as to the inner workings of a spaceship’s jump drive(?), you need to have a firm understanding of what you’re saying. Then, you can speak about a concept with confidence—and grant enough contextual understanding to a viewer so that they aren’t left behind.
#4 Imagination and Wonder
As you may have gathered to this point, science fiction can pose some significant challenges for performers. That’s why we feel it’s important to remind you of the reason you might be interested in this contentious genre in the first place. In fact: it’s a vital part of performing your science fiction role with any measure of success.
Don’t lose your sense of imagination and wonder. Simple as that. It might sound a little bit groovy-guidance-counsellor, but it’s a serious thing to keep in mind as you work to sell a believable story in a fictional world. Just as humans are drawn to science fiction with tantalising questions of “What if?”, the characters within these stories are driven by their desire to know more, discover the unknown.
It’s another way of ensuring that your characters feel human in strange lands. Share their capacity for wonderment: let it inspire you!
Where to Find Science Fiction Roles
As a genre with clear rules and a built-in audience, science fiction has maintained a firm standing in popular culture since its inception in 1818 (thanks again Mrs. Shelley.)
If you’re wondering where you might encounter opportunities for acting in science fiction, you should be able to find projects at all levels in the industry:
Big Budget
Science fiction is regularly produced in franchise format by industry giants such as Disney. Their purchase of the Star Wars brand in 2012 has resulted in an enormous expansion of the brand, away from its roots as a film series. Star Wars spans across film, television series, games and interactive experiences such as Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland.
Non-franchise science fiction is rarer in the mainstream, as it’s a riskier investment. It might not surprise you to learn that science fiction films often require considerable effects budgets to build believable worlds. But original stories are still produced in some capacities by studios and independent companies.
And often, it’s these seemingly-out-of-nowhere stories that capture audience’s attentions and imaginations the most:
Small Screen
As an actor, you are most likely to find your start in science fiction produced for streaming services such as Disney+, Apple or Netflix. Budgets are still large due to the technical requirements, but serialised stories tend to be driven more by character and spectacle. This keeps the amount of effects shots to a manageable limit.
Small screen science fiction has another advantage. With a greater run-time (8 episodes as opposed to, say, 2 hours in total), they are well suited to tackling more complex and speculative ideas. In short: small screen science fiction can get deep, experimental, weird. Severance is a prime exmaple:
No Budget
If you’re an early career performer with a jones for acting in science fiction, we are delighted to report that the genre absolutely thrives in low-to-no budget environments. Without the funds to spend on explosions and aliens, independent and emerging filmmakers have to get creative. Their work hinges on their ideas.
For inspiration, head to Youtube and search “science fiction short film”. You’re going to stumble across thousands of incredible pieces, some made for the smell of an oily rag. Among them, you may even discover gems like Alive in Joburg: a fascinating meditation on segregation and prejudice. Its director, Neill Blomkamp, would go on to adapt the short into his brilliant debut feature District 9:
Can I Write My Own Science Fiction?
You kidding? Absolutely you can! As we’ve seen above in all things Small Budget, science-fiction is a great genre for all creatives to be across, with its built-in audience and strong genre definitions.
If you’re interested in writing a vehicle for yourself, and want that vehicle to be a spaceship, let yourself be guided by the things we’ve spoken about already in this article. Know the world and its rules, find the human and let yourself be driven by imagination and wonder.
In fact, as an actor, you may find yourself at an advantage writing science fiction. Most budding sci-fi authors find themselves more than across invented worlds, histories and jargon. What often fails is the human element—the thing that actually binds us to compelling stories in the first place.
As an actor, you are an empathy machine. Use this to your advantage if you’re keen to write science fiction: make your audience connect. And care.
Conclusion
So there you have it: StageMilk’s hot take of acting in science fiction! If we can leave you with one final piece of advice, let it be this. Treat a role in a science fiction story like any other. Don’t think it’s shallow, or easy, or saves you from certain aspects of your process in preparation.
The more you can approach your character in a grounded and natural way, the more you’ll allow your audience to feel as though everything they’re seeing and hearing is real. And once you’ve got them on that level … you can really take them into those unexpected, terrifying, exhilarating places. As we said at the start: there’s nothing quite like it.
Good luck!