Photo by Josh Madson
SciFiChick.com was recently able to interview multi-talented teen actor Connor Jessup. Jessup stars as Ben Mason, an alien abductee, in TNT and Steven Spielberg’s upcoming Falling Skies. Falling Skies premieres Sunday, June 19th at 9pm (ET/PT) on TNT.
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Can you tell us a bit about Falling Skies in your own words?
Falling Skies is a sci-fi/drama series that takes place during an alien occupation of Earth, six months after the initial invasion wiped out the vast majority of our population and infrastructure. It follows a group of characters––both civilian and military––who are trying to fight back, in the face of inconceivably overwhelming odds.
How involved has Steven Spielberg been with Falling Skies?
From what I’ve heard, Falling Skies is something of a pet project of Spielberg’s. He was heavily involved in the casting process, the conceptual design of the aliens and their technologies. He gave notes on every script and even cut a few of the trailers together himself. It’s an incredibly nice feeling, knowing there is a benevolent hand out there, guiding everything in the right direction.
Your character Ben Mason has been abducted by the aliens. Can you tell us about that experience for Ben?
The aliens are abducting teenagers––and only teenagers––for reasons unbeknownst to both the characters and the viewer. At the start of the series, my character, Ben, is missing. When the aliens kidnap a teenager, they put these strange, organic “harnesses” on their backs. The harnesses kind of zombify them, making them submit to the alien’s will. All these experiences––including being separated from his family––deeply affect Ben. The extent to which Ben is affected is one of the series’ mysteries.
What can you tell us about the Mason family dynamics? Were they a close family before the invasion?