Linda Hamilton

She’s all C4 and sci-fi.

Actress Linda Hamilton has spent decades leading one of the genre’s greatest series, The Terminator, but now she’s moved from cyborgs to ETs in the Syfy comedy Resident Alien. Since the new year is all about opening ourselves up to new things, we wanted to find out just how open she is to all the creepy, scary monsters she rubs shoulders with on set.

So, here’s Linda’s take on the apocalypse, Mars, and the most important question to ask an alien.

Do you believe in aliens?
Definitely. Do they resemble little creatures with big, dark eyes? I don’t know. But there are too many stories of them not to believe, and we would be arrogant to think we’re the only [planet with] life.

If we have the technology to reach out to them, should we do it?
Reaching out and trying to make a connection is pretty much my MO. We want to be introduced to as much as we possibly can that’s out there in the vast universes, right?

What skills could you use in an apocalypse scenario?
I would keep everyone extremely well entertained in a crisis.

If you had to pick one of your former co-stars to try to survive with, who would you choose?
Oh, man. Actors aren’t worth a damn, ya know. I’d choose Lee Grumett, the first assistant director on Terminator: Dark Fate. He was the most amazing leader. He had all of the information to link all of the parts going on set, the stamina, the intelligence, and he’s just so good with people.

If we had colonies on Mars, would you go?
Yeah, as long as it’s a two-way trip. I don’t think I would want to do the colonizing, particularly because I’m really at home in New Orleans. But I definitely would love to see as many worlds as possible. However, I probably wouldn’t do the whole elitist thing and pay a million dollars because that sort of upsets who I am as a person. I would want it to be equitable somehow.

Wow, you seem so adventurous. Have you always been like that?
I’ve always been curious, and I think that’s what keeps the mind solvent—staying curious and never thinking I know everything. That just rigidifies the brain and makes you really old and awful.

How does that curiosity play into the roles you choose?
I realized long ago that when something scares you, you have to meet it head-on. I’m pretty sure most of us wake up every day and go, “I’m going to get busted today. I’m not really an actress.” But it’s all imposter syndrome. Sometimes it’s good to do stuff that’s scary because then you realize only fear was standing in your way.

You’re now combining sci-fi with comedy in the series Resident Alien. What’s it been like flexing your funny bone?
It’s a very sweet and poignant show, and I’m having such a good time. The writers are fantastic and our star Alan Tudyk is just brilliant. I just get to sit there and go, “This is like the best comedy camp. Let me stay.”

In the show, an alien takes on a human persona after a crash landing on Earth. What would you say if you randomly encountered an alien?
I mean, could you even speak? Is it like, “Welcome to Earth, would you like some water?” [Laughing.] I think you’d cut right to, “Do you mean us harm?” That would be the first question.