LOS ANGELES — Alien: Romulus is the latest film in the legendary science fiction series. It features plenty of terrifying creatures and a new cast of young characters, while also paying homage to the original Alien film.

Isabela Merced spoke to On The Red Carpet at the film’s Hollywood premiere about her acting process throughout the film.

“I’ve never done a horror film before, so I’d never practiced feeling fear from beginning to end and seeing how it might evolve and intensify, and maybe different versions of fear that I could explore, and I had the opportunity to do that here,” she said.

Director Fede Alvarez was careful to use as many practical effects as possible when making the film, including creating aliens that could be controlled by puppeteers. Archie Renaux and Aileen Wu also experienced real fear while working with their “real” alien co-stars.

“I didn’t have to act or imagine anything,” Wu said. “It was all right in front of me. I could touch it, I could feel it. They’re, you know, life-sized. They moved in all the ways they were supposed to move, and it was really exciting.”

“Nothing is left to the imagination, it’s all there for you, you don’t have to do any of this work,” Renaux added. “So you’re really scared, and when you see this creature with saliva dripping down and its lips able to quiver, it really is like a work of art.”

Romulus is a trip back to the roots of the original film, with its claustrophobic atmosphere and eerie setting. Alvarez studied the franchise before adding his own film to the collection.

“This is a franchise that has been made by all of my favorite directors. Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher and Jean-Pierre Jeunet,” he said. “For me, the biggest film school was watching their films before making this one.”

“Alien: Romulus” is now in theaters.

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