VANCOUVER – Veteran Six Nations’ actor, Gary Farmer, has a new gig. In his latest television series, “Resident Alien” Farmer plays the part of the wise father of a dysfunctional family doing its best to be happy when a body snatching alien crash-lands near a small and remote town near the reservation.
Upon removing himself from his stricken spaceship, the Alien murders and takes on the body and life of the first human he meets – Doctor Harry Vanderspeigle – a well-respected physician, dumping the original body in a lake. A hilarious learning curve follows as he gets used to his new human body. His mission is to fix his spaceship, kill everyone on the earth and leave.
Although the storyline may sound familiar, it really is an original take on the old spaceman theme.
The new CTV series is in its first season. American Indian actor, Sara Tomko, is Asta Twelvetrees, Farmers daughter, who was the original doctor’s nurse.
In real life, Tomko is of Polish, Slavic, and Native American ancestry and she feels a close connection to each of the cultures that make up the person she is.
Kaylayla Raine, also of American Indian heritage, plays the daughter of Twelvetrees, who had to give up her child as a teenage mother. Raine is very active in defending Native Rights through her Facebook account.
Alan Tudyk who has appeared in Firefly, Rogue One: Star Wars Story, plays the lead role as Doctor Harry Vanderspeigle / alien.
The show has been renewed for at least 18 more episodes following a very successful first season.
Farmer will have a lot of traveling to do this year juggles roles between Resident Alien and other TV filling his calendar these days and movie opportunities. That’s not to mention gigs with his band, Gary Farmer and the Troublemakers, which fellow Six Nations’ connection guitar slinger, Derek Miller, works with from time to time.