This interview contains spoilers for Alien: Earth episode 6.

David Rysdahl has me cornered. I’m playing chess with the Alien: Earth actor in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (his idea), and his rook is staring down my king from across the board.

“On Chess.com, I’m in the top 90 percent. But there’s probably five-year-olds who are playing better than me,” Rysdahl says before moving another piece. “Okay, that’s check.”

Rats. Check already? Rysdahl is very good at this game. He stays humble by not naming the specific gambits or defenses he’s pulling off, though I’m sure he’s working through some highbrow stuff—even to beat a novice like me who makes one mistake after another. “Yeah, it’s not a normal opening,” he says, encouraging me after I move my first piece. Later, he remarks: “See, a

See Full Page