The buzz around the Alien: Earth series hit a snag this week, after its star Sydney Chandler was pulled from Variety’s magazine cover just days before the show’s premiere.
Sydney is the daughter of Friday Night Lights actor and Emmy winner Kyle Chandler, landed the lead role in this new sci-fi twist on the Alien franchise — so fans expected she’d be front and centre in all the promotional hype.
According to Variety, disagreements began when Chandler wasn’t keen to do a group filmed Q&A segment called ‘How Well Do They Know Each Other’, with “two older men”, aka her co-star Timothy Olyphant, 57, and showrunner Noah Hawley, 58.
The magazine supposedly tried to smooth things over, sending Chandler’s team the planned questions ahead of time and inviting her to suggest any topics that made her more comfortable. But her representatives’ alternative proposals didn’t get over the line with Variety.
After back and forth through emails and texts between FX, Variety and Sydney’s team, things didn’t budge, and according to the New York Post the decision was reportedly made by Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh to take her off the cover completely.
There were even efforts to reschedule the shoot for the next day, but Chandler ultimately pulled out again, with her publicist telling the magazine that she was “very sick” and unable to participate. Instead, the final cover featured just Olyphant and Hawley.
Variety’s coverage included a response from showrunner Hawley, who spoke plainly about the outcome: “The show is built around Sydney’s character, and the work she did as a professional was tremendous,” he said.
“I’m disappointed that my female-centric show, based on a female-facing franchise, does not have my lead actress on the cover. It felt awkward to be there with Tim [Olyphant] without her.”
Chandler herself weighed in too, telling Variety that she’s “just a private person” and “new to press”, adding, “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.”
Online chatter has mixed opinions, with some feeling Chandler was just setting boundaries as she adjusted to the reality of high-profile promo, and others arguing that pulling out so last-minute isn’t the best look.
Whatever you reckon, plenty of folks are still keen to see what Chandler brings to the iconic franchise when all eyes are on the screen, not the magazine rack.
Lead image: Getty / Variety
