“I'm a Loverboy at Heart” Alien: Earth Star Jonathan Ajayi on Writing a Song for Smee and Craving Onscreen Romance

Since his debut, Jonathan Ajayi’s career has spanned nearly every medium, from the stage to television to film, each role marked by intention and heart. Now, he’s stepping into even bigger territory with FX’s Alien: Earth and Hulu’s The Man in My Basement, two projects that showcase his range.

When we connect on Zoom, our conversation immediately detours into Egyptian cuisine in London and both our histories with West London, which is a fitting prelude to Ajayi’s grounded, generous energy. He speaks the way he acts: with total authenticity and a quiet conviction. Over the course of our chat, he opens up about his six months filming Alien: Earth in Thailand, his creative life beyond acting, his days on stage, and the moment on set when everything finally clicked.

FARAH SADEK: You've had such a great year with Alien: Earth and The Man In My Basement, how did it feel to be part of two great projects?

JONATHAN AJAYI: It’s honestly a dream come true. After 11 years of acting, you hope for moments like this when everything syncs up. Both projects were so well received. Getting The Man In My Basement into TIFF was surreal.

I’d dreamed of having an indie film at a festival since drama school. I love that space and want to keep exploring it. And then Alien is such a beloved, massive IP. You just want to do it justice and make people happy. I’m really happy everyone responded so well.

SADEK: Both of these stories tackle political or societal issues in different ways. What makes you particularly drawn to those types of projects?

AJAYI: Funny you say that because literally, on my whiteboard right here in my office, it says: “Speak to the times and capture the imagination of the people.” That’s my criteria for everything.

SADEK: Love that.

AJAYI: If you’re not speaking to the times, I don’t know why you’re talking, you know? That’s how I feel about the choices I make. Art is a very effective tool in the world, and I count myself very lucky to make a career out of it. I don’t take that lightly. It’s something I try to do with as much intentionality as I can.

SADEK: As a Young Vic alum, I want to know what you’ve brought from those days into your TV and film work. And do you prepare differently for the screen versus the stage?

AJAYI: I kind of do the same thing for both, if I’m honest. Over the years I’ve realised there’s not much of a difference. How it’s being communicated is different but the actor’s work, for me, is the same.

I listen to music, I write in journals, I watch movies, I listen to podcasts. I just open myself up to be inspired by the world, because stories are about the world. The answers are there if you’re looking.

SADEK: I kind of find — and I know this is a bit of a wild comparison — but there’s a similarity between stepping into something like Hamlet, which has been adapted countless times, and something like Alien, which is also a pre-existing IP. How do you feel about stepping into roles that have already existed for so long, in different ways?

AJAYI: I think the first thing you need to do is be brave. When something exists before you, you’re stepping into a world that people already have a relationship with. You have to understand that you can’t recreate what’s come before, all you can do is find yourself within Hamlet, or within Alien: Earth, or The Man in My Basement. It’s about asking: Where do I fit? Does it awaken me personally? What do I have to contribute to this story? And then, with respect for the language and for the story, I find the space where I can feel artistically alive and creatively inspired.

SADEK: On the subject of getting into a massive universe, you also had to play different versions of one character, Smee, in Alien: Earth. You had to really embody someone who’s childlike, someone who’s traumatized, someone who’s forced to grow up. How did you prepare for those different versions of just one character?

AJAYI: I think what helped was that I knew who Smee was so intimately that, whether I had to embrace his humorous side, his fearful side, or the dissociative aspects of his personality, I understood who he was within that framework and why he did everything he did.

Smee is a special case because, at the beginning of the show he achieves everything he’s ever wanted. Usually, in a play or a movie, your character spends the story trying to get something but in episode one, I get it all. I get a family, I get friends, I get a place to play, and I’m not sick anymore.

A lot of the humor came from that sense of freedom, but when the other Lost Boys start facing their struggles and traumas, that sense of family, play, and freedom is threatened. So Smee uses jokes, grown-up hugs, charm, wit, even tantrums, to hold that family together. And then, when he’s betrayed by Slightly, his entire understanding of what family or freedom means just collapses. At that point, I let myself not really know how to respond because in those moments, you rarely do.

SADEK: So, what would you say was the hardest part of stepping into that role?

AJAYI: Belief. I remember we were about three weeks into filming, and I was like, “Yeah, man, this is amazing. I’m in Alien, I’m filming in Thailand, life is so good.” And then I went, “Wait, bro, you’re playing a 10-year-old. Oh no, you might’ve just ruined all your hard work, man.”

I got really scared. I was like, “Sh*t, what am I doing? Oh no, is this… am I about to shoot myself in the foot and undermine everything, or am I about to really make myself proud?” Thankfully, it was the latter.

But getting over that hurdle, realizing that this role required me to be completely fearless and not care what anybody thinks, that was huge. I told myself, If I’m gonna die on this hill, I’m gonna die on this hill. I’m gonna play this 10-year-old. I’m gonna be goofy, I’m gonna laugh, I’m gonna do all this crazy stuff I’d never do in my real life. And somehow, I just had to trust my castmates and my team that it would all come together, and it did.

SADEK: I want to talk about your relationship with the cast of Alien because you already knew Kit Young going in. What was the process like, knowing someone beforehand?

AJAYI: Kit gave me a WhatsApp video tour of our Bangkok apartments since I arrived late. I couldn’t decide between floor 30 or 33, then he said he was on 34, so I picked 33. When we got there, people asked how we knew each other, which helped break the ice. Having that connection made everyone more relaxed.

By the end of the job, I adored everybody. I bumped into Lily [Newmark] the other night at a party. I’m seeing Babou [Ceesay] soon. I’ve got bubble tea with Moe [Bar-El]. It’s rare to make so many friends on a job.

SADEK: And you’re a multi-hyphenate. Music has a part in your life. You mentioned you wrote a song for Smee?

AJAYI: I did! I wrote it in Thailand while sitting with Ardash [Gourav] one evening, just after we got the script for episode seven. I remember thinking, “This role is getting harder,” since I’d only signed on for three episodes and didn’t know where it was headed. I asked him to describe his character in three words or a mantra, and that conversation sparked the idea of witnessing someone in the storm of their life. I mixed that with nostalgia for the simplicity of childhood. The lyrics go like “I miss growing up, I miss having fun…”

I did something similar at the Young Vic during The Brothers Size. There was a scene I really struggled with, so instead of writing a song, I sat at the piano and played what the scene felt like. I found the right chord and brought that energy into rehearsal.

SADEK: Is that just how you unwind or is it something that you see yourself pursuing professionally?

AJAYI: It’s something I always thought I’d do. Early on, it was between acting and music for me. I actually got into two songwriting degree courses before any acting schools, but I turned them down to pursue acting. My career took off, amazing things happened, but eventually I hit a point where I felt like something was missing. I didn’t know how to connect with myself the way I used to. Then I picked up my guitar for the first time in ages, started writing again, and posted a few songs on Instagram. People commented things like, “I was having the worst day of my life until I listened to this,” and I thought, “So was I.” I just kept going. At first, there was no pressure because acting was my career, but music was my private thing; something I did for myself and for whoever was listening.

The more I write and play, the more I realize I want to share these songs with more people. They move me, and they seem to move others too. I just love it.

SADEK: Do you choose different types of projects on purpose, or is there something in particular you want to try, or something you want to stay in?

AJAYI: I’ve been very, very lucky. My career, and the characters I’ve played so early on, have been really vast. I think there’s an element in acting where, at least at the beginning, you do what you’re lucky enough to book and all you can do is try your best. Every time I’ve been given an opportunity, no matter how different that character is from me, my goal is always to bring as much respect for my own life to that part.

I think that creates a sense of—well, this is me assuming—but I think that’s probably why people tend to believe me in multiple roles, because I give each one the same level of commitment. And I love that. I love the character actors. I love Philip Seymour Hoffman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Meryl Streep, to name a few. I look at them and think, how can one person so completely immerse themselves in a life so different from their own? It’s such an adventure, and it’s so exciting. I really love diving in.

SADEK: Is there a certain type of story you’d like to tackle next? I’d love to see something like The Drifters again.

AJAYI: I was thinking about Drifters the other day. It’s almost like looking at a picture of an ex and going, “Oh, I miss you.” I saw a little clip on Instagram from when me and Lucie Bourdeu did an improvised take, and my heart just… I was like, I need to explore the romantic side of my career.

You know, I’ve got a beard and big shoulders, so I get cast a lot as these very intense people. But I’m just a lover boy at heart. I like Cleo’s soul. Let me do some romantic stuff.

SADEK: So was there a moment on set where you thought, this is why I became an actor?

AJAYI: Yes and it didn’t even make the cut. So much of acting is battling insecurity and finding confidence in words that aren’t yours. Over those six months, I learned so much.

We were filming the scene carrying Arthur’s body on the raft. Arush said, “I did everything I can,” and Morrow replied, “If you did, I wouldn’t be staring at a hollow corpse.” Behind us were these huge stunt guys, and I just believed in that moment. When one grabbed Arush, I threw myself at him, shouting, “You’re hurting my friend!” Arush started crying, I started crying. It was raw, real, and completely improvised.

Dana [Gonzalez] came out from behind the monitor, hands on his chest. I asked if I could keep it in. He said, “You have to.”

Trusting yourself to take a creative risk is something I really learned on that job. It made me realize, okay, I’m in the right place. I’m doing what I love. Let’s keep going.

Alien: Earth and The Man in My Basement are now streaming on Disney+. Picture of Jonathan Ajayi courtesy of Sylvain Homo.