David Jonsson didn’t know what movie script he was reading when he dug into Alien: Romulus ahead of his audition. His initial reaction? “I thought it was absolutely amazing, so intricate and detailed,” the British actor tells Entertainment Weekly. “And then I found out it was Alien.”

Set between the events of 1979’s Alien and the 1986 sequel, Aliens, Romulus stars Jonsson as Andy, the franchise’s newest android, or “synthetic." But unlike the previous Alien androids, Andy has a sibling-like relationship with Cailee Spaeny’s Rain, who is part of the young crew of space colonizers who eventually come face-to-face with the monstrous Xenomorphs. Jonsson previews the new film (in theaters Aug. 16), directed by Fede Álvarez, and how his android is different from those memorably played by Ian Holm and Michael Fassbender in previous films.

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Murray Close/20th Century Studios

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was most interesting to you about this character?

DAVID JONSSON: I love anything that feels human in ways that are naughty and a bit complex. You can’t get more complex than the wonderful characters invented in the Alien films: These synthetics are meant to enhance life, but sometimes can do the opposite. I thought he was such a wonderful character on the page. And, obviously, playing against someone like Cailee — who is just amazing and such an angel — we really found the humanity, the relationship that one might have calling someone your brother but them not being human. That was such a joy to get into.

Did you look at Ian Holm's and Michael Fassbender’s versions for inspiration?

It’s kind of hard to compete with them, which I’m not trying to do at all — I just wouldn’t do that. But it’s amazing to be in that company, and it was amazing to be a first in the franchise, for a young Black man to play an android. It’s such a fine detail that we’re really kind of leaning into. We’re definitely trying to make it our own. There’s something different in Andy.

What was it like the first time you saw the Xenomorph on set?

It was like watching the film but in real life. It was amazing. We were lucky enough to have the original guys who helped with the first Alien [bring] that movie magic on set. Everything was built to an insane level of detail. So seeing the Xenomorphs, there’s very little acting required—this is actually scary, this is terrifying. I think that’s going to communicate really amazingly on screen.

A version of this story appears in EW's complimentary Comic-Con 2024 Preview print edition, being passed out in San Diego throughout the convention.