Naomie Harris on Anchoring the Audience in ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’

Naomie Harris is one of those sneaky wonderful actors who, for whatever reason, has done more great work than you realize. Her resume is full of interesting, profound, and game-changing credits. She can also do just about anything. You need light comic relief in an action film? Cast Naomie Harris as Moneypenny in the Daniel Craig Bond films. You need someone to outrun zombies while never letting you lose sight of the humanity in their character? You cast Naomie Harris in 28 Days Later. You need someone to play a tough vice cop for Michael Mann? You cast Naomie Harris in Miami Vice. Or how about a drug-addicted mother who breaks her son’s heart and yours too? You cast Naomie Harris in Moonlight (for which she received an Oscar nomination).

She’s one of the finest actors working now, and she proves it again in Showtime’s The Man Who Fell To Earth, a sort of sequel to the Nicolas Roeg/David Bowie film of the same name from 1976. Naomie plays Justin, a disgraced scientist whose discredited work may be the key to an alien’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) efforts to save his planet. In our conversation, we talk about how she came to her first full series work, the powerful themes of the show’s story, and how they are as relevant as ever today.

Awards Daily: How did you come to the show? 

Naomie Harris: What I do after I’ve been filming something quite intense is I always take breaks. I love going away and I had just finished Swan Song in Vancouver. And after that I had a choice of either going back home to London and being in lockdown, or I could head off to visit my friend in Costa Rica where things were much freer. So I was in Costa Rica having a great time, with no intentions to work whatsoever or coming back to London, when my team said “we found this amazing project for you, and we think you’re really going to love it.” And I was thinking, well, actually [laughs] I’m really loving being here with the sea and sand and sun. But when I read it I thought, no actually, this is really, really good. Then Alex (Kurtzman) and Jenny (Lumet) jumped on a Zoom call to try and persuade me, cause they said, you know, you’re our number one choice for the project. When I spoke to them Jenny actually said “there are lots of assholes in this industry, and when you find people who are good, you cling on to them.” And I just think that’s really beautiful and true, because that’s what I felt about Jenny and Alex. I thought: these are some really good people. Genuinely passionate, they have integrity, and they want to make something meaningful with a beautiful message behind it. And I thought: this is something I definitely want to be part of.

Awards Daily: Were you familiar with the film version?

Naomie Harris: I was not familiar at all with the film version. I’d never seen it, never ever heard about it. But obviously as a result of being part of it I watched it, and what I felt was it was pretty impenetrable and it completely went over my head on my first viewing. But what I was blown away by was David Bowie. I was just like, I cannot believe that this was his first ever film performance. Because it is absolutely faultless. It’s an extraordinary performance, so that’s what kept me hooked to it. But you know, The Man Who Fell to Earth TV show is very, very different to the movie. It’s set 45 years after the movie, and obviously my character doesn’t appear in the film. It’s a radical departure from the film.

Awards Daily: I think most people, including myself, assumed this was going to be a remake of the film. I thought that would be fascinating on its own – but the truth is that it’s actually a continuation. The series has this ingenious use of flashbacks, and the brilliant use of Bill Nighy as the character Bowie played in the film. When you realized that you were actually doing something that’s extending and expanding upon the story as opposed to remaking the original film in a series form, I’m sure that was pretty exciting.

Naomie Harris: It’s hugely exciting. I am never actually for remakes, especially when people love something so much – and people really love The Man Who Fell to Earth the movie. They geek out about it, they’re super passionate about it. So I always think it’s a real mistake. Why would you ever want to remake something that’s so magical? You always want to reinvent it and make it relevant for the times, and that’s what I found so exciting about this project. It’s really an exploration and a questioning of where we are now, and who we are now in this particular moment. That’s what makes it so compelling and so appealing to watch.

Awards Daily: The themes that carry forward about the environment are even stronger in the TV series, because of where we are in our time in history. That obviously gave you and the team a lot to work with. 

Naomie Harris: Absolutely. And it gave me another wonderful reason to be part of the project. Because like most of us I am incredibly concerned about where we are in terms of what we’re doing to the environment. What I love about the series is it’s… what do they say… wrapping spinach in candy floss and feeding it to people. [Laughs.] Ultimately it’s entertainment, but with this really powerful message about “what the frig have we done to this planet?” And how much longer do we have on this planet if we continue to behave in the way that we are? And of course, here’s a vision of what’s possible if we don’t change our ideas and start treating our planet with more reverence and respect. And so, that was another reason I really wanted to be part of this show. 

Awards Daily: There’s a surprising amount of humor in the series that stems naturally from Chiwetel’s character and your reactions to his alien-like behavior. Were you surprised by how much humor that came out of those situations?

Naomie Harris: Yeah! It’s funny, actually, because Alex is working in a very unusual way – and I’ve never seen this happen before but I think it’s absolutely brilliant – which is that he has an editor with him on set. So, when he’s shooting something in real time his editor is editing that scene. So he knows whether he’s missing something or he needs another angle or what have you. It’s genius. I guess the thing is most people don’t have it because they can’t afford it, because it’s hugely expensive to have an editor there. But I remember Alex saying one of the things he was noticing from the scenes is that there’s a hell of a lot more humor than even he anticipated. And I remember thinking: Really? Where?! 

Awards Daily: [Laughs.]

Naomie Harris: It was when I was doing ADR for it that I was like, oh my gosh… this is really funny. Chiwetel’s character particularly is hilarious. So, so funny. But I absolutely love that we got so much humor in the show, because there’s so many other elements – it’s got these intense messages about isolation, about immigration, about climate change; it’s got intense themes in terms of Justin’s character and what she’s carrying, and of course the destruction of Faraday’s planet. And it’s really emotional at a lot of points. So I think to round it out it’s wonderful that we have great humor as well. Because I think humor makes everything even more impactful, I don’t think it undermines it. I think it makes us love the characters and connect with their journey even more.

Awards Daily: Did it seem like it would be a challenge to sell Justin as someone would go along with Faraday on his crazy journey? As an actor, you have to make us believe that you would go on an adventure with this person who is acting… well… so strangely. 

Naomie Harris: As me Naomi and also as Justin, it doesn’t seem crazy. Because I am that person, just like Justin, who is a sucker for anybody in need. [Laughs.] Not that long ago on my broadway this woman told me she was in a hostel but was about to be thrown out – and if she could just stay one more night in that hostel, she had a job interview the next day and she’d then be able to take care of herself. So I gave her the money for the night, and she was like, yeah, but it would be really great if I could have another night. So I gave her some more money. And then she continued to follow me down the broadway saying, actually it would be really great if she could stay three nights. So I gave her money for three nights. Then she said “I really need some food.” So I went round the supermarket with her to buy all this food. And she didn’t have a cooker or anything and she was buying eggs and sausages and I’m thinking, where is she going to make these things! You know, I think a lot of us are like that. And that’s why con artists exist. Because ultimately, once we connect with our heart and feel we have a little bit of insight into somebody, it’s really hard to turn our back on them. And that’s what happens with Justin. She helps Faraday in his hour of need, when he’s being beaten up by these guys who just want his money, and her heart goes out to him – and she’s in. And she can’t get out! And I totally sympathize with that. So I don’t think it’s so strange that she does what she does. I think a lot of us would.

Awards Daily: Chiwetel’s character is the event of the show, but the story is in large part yours. Justin is the heart of this thing. Did you realize you were carrying that?

Naomie Harris: Did I realize… Well, I realized it was a tricky role. Because so much of what you’re doing is self-deluding. Not knowing the things that you do know, and having to always forget the things you know, and pretending to look at someone in a certain way when you know certain things about them that you shouldn’t know. It was really tricky to navigate, although it was a wonderful honor to play Justin. But it’s only been very recently that I’ve realized, yeah – I do agree she is an anchor. She’s the eyes and ears for the audience. Because Faraday is the alien, you don’t really connect completely with an alien. Although there’s part of us that’s always alien, so I think that’s why we do connect with his character. Ultimately though it’s human beings watching the show, and it’s through Justin’s eyes that we’re seeing. 

Awards Daily: In the fourth episode, Faraday learns what human emotion is through the message from Newton, and he asks you how humans can bear these feelings. That was heartrending. That must have been a very intense emotional sequence. 

Naomie Harris: I think the whole thing was intense and emotional. [Laughs.] Because I’m used to doing film, this was such a different experience for me. I’ve never done episodic TV – 10 whole episodes! And each one of them is like an entire film jammed into one episode, each of which has this incredible emotional arc. So when you’re filming you’re just constantly on an emotional roller coaster. I was going through some personal traumas, which are now resolved thank goodness, while filming and I was so grateful – because I was like, wow, I get to use all these tears that would have been wasted crying in my bedroom [Laughs]. I get to use them on screen! But yeah, every day was taxing and stretching – but that’s what you want as a performer, that’s why you sign up to these roles. I think there’s something masochistic about every actor, because we want to kind of torture ourselves. The more pain there is, we’re like, yes! That’s the role that I really connect to; that’s the one I want!

Awards Daily: I don’t want to give too much away for those who haven’t seen episode four, but there’s a huge revelation about what your character did to achieve fusion. We already had a great emotional investment in you based on your relationship with your father, and your daughter, but when we learn this back story, it just really changes the show. It adds a lot of weight to a show that was already quite weighty as it was.

Naomie Harris: It’s like when we get to know people, isn’t it? It’s that journey of getting to know somebody, when you think you know somebody and then they tell you this huge revelation. Then you get sucked in even further and invested in them even further, and I think that’s one of the tricks of this show, right? Like: ahh we’re a sci-fi show and we have some great humor and fabulous effects – but that’s just the beginning. It goes much deeper, and every episode gets deeper and deeper. It’s one of these shows that just gets better and better with each episode.

Awards Daily: There’s a beautiful moment where you are thinking of what you did to achieve fusion as this horrific thing, and Faraday brings in a very different perspective. He points out to you that you made the greatest scientific leap of your generation and only one life was lost. I think he says it would be something people on earth would call a miracle. That ability to show us different perspectives, or show us a different scale – that’s part of the real science in the science fiction of the show. It’s the omelet and the eggs perspective.

Naomie Harris: Even as you say that it makes me well up. I guess it’s this part of me that still connects to Justin. Because one life is still one life. And I think even just one life on any one human being’s conscience is too much for the soul to bear. The idea that you are responsible for someone’s death is a pain that seems just unfathomable – and I would never, ever like to have the experience of what that must feel like. If you ran someone over, or accidentally did something where someone’s life was lost, I just really don’t know how you’d live with that – and I think yeah, you’d end up doing what Justin does. Which is, she is torturing herself. She’s purposefully put herself in purgatory. She’s chosen the most awful job on the planet and she has stripped all joy, all fun, all passion from her life, and she’s just being of service to her family. It’s all about the health of her father and looking after her father. 

Awards Daily: Faraday, in ways subtle and not so subtle, urges you not to waste your talent. Justin is a brilliant scientist. While it’s better than it used to be, women don’t get to play scientists as much as they should. Were you keenly aware of the factor: “I get to play a scientist and this is usually for gray-haired old men in movies and shows”?

Naomie Harris: I was, I was. And I was very excited about it. Maybe because I thought, you know, it’s going to be so great for some young girls out there who are watching the show and think “I never thought of being a scientist, but I can do that and I can do anything.” That’s the wonderful thing about the reach that film and TV have – they change people’s perceptions of the world, they change people’s perceptions of themselves and of what is possible. And I thought, how amazing to have that opportunity to do that for some young girls out there. So I was really excited about that challenge. And then also the reality is that I HATED science at school. I hated science and I was terrible at it. I was like: oh my gosh, how am I going to get my head around these concepts and deliver them in a way that makes sense and makes people believe that I’m a scientist! But thankfully we had a wonderful scientist called Melanie who helped me with all of the giant concepts and broke them down into layman terms – baby terms in fact – so that I could understand them.

Awards Daily: The show is a very complex organism with a lot of moving parts. There’s some impressive second and third-level thinking, let alone all of the easter eggs for Bowie fans. Shows this complex aren’t always so well received, but this has been. You must be enormously proud to be part of it.

Naomie Harris: It goes back to your question about perspective in a way: do we break eggs to make an omelet. Do the ends justify the means? So for me it’s not just about the end product – it’s about the process and the journey, and what was that journey like? And how kind were people along the way? How much fun did we have, and how much did we learn about ourselves? How much did we connect? And that’s what I would say I’m equally proud of about this special project. It was a very special journey with incredible souls attached to it; there was not a single bad egg on that entire set. Everybody was passionate and worked incredibly hard for incredibly long hours. When we started off we were told we would work 5 day weeks and 12 hour days; of course we worked 6 days a week with 14 hours days. And despite that everybody kept their spirits up and gave it absolutely everything. I’m just so proud that people’s blood, sweat and tears, and heart and soul, is being seen and recognized on that screen. That’s what excites me most.