NYCC 2024: Lumina Cast Discuss Their Impossible-To-Describe Sci-Fi Movie, Its Alien Monsters & Eric Roberts' Role (2024)

In the wake of an alien abduction, a group of friends go out in search of the truth in Lumina, the new sci-fi/horror/romance road flick from Gino McKoy, who writes, directs, produces, and serves as co-composer and VFX Supervisor on the film, among other hats. Shot entirely in Morocco, Lumina makes up for its low budget with its breadth of imagination and willingness to throw caution to the wind and just let the story unfold across as many genres and tonal shifts as it may encompass.

Lumina boasts an ensemble cast anchored by the always-game Eric Roberts. Alex, the lead character, is portrayed by Rupert Lazarus, but he's backed up by a group of friends played by Ken Lawson (Moesha), Andrea Tivadar (Warrior Nun, Killing Eve), and Sidney Nicole Rogers (Maya), each of whom add some variety to the adventure.

At New York Comic Con 2024, ScreenRant interviewed Andrea Tivadar, Ken Lawson, and Sidney Nicole Rogers. They talk about their work on Lumina, and praise its writer/director, Gino McKoy. They talk about their characters and their role in the story, and hype up the alien creature that chases them throughout the latter parts of the film. Finally, they talk about sharing the screen with the "space cowboy" himself, Eric Roberts.

The Cast Of Lumina On Collaborating With Eric Roberts & Gino McKoy

"So, that's the takeaway. Lumina: get you some ride-or-die friends!"

Who are you playing in the movie? Tell me a bit about your characters.

Andrea Tivadar: I play Delilah in the film. Delilah is the intruder, the disruptor. She wants Alex and Alex wants Tatiana. She fights hard to get him back, but at the same time she has a beautiful arc in the film where she understands the power of friendship and how a friend is more important than anything.

Ken Lawson: My character's name is George. He is the friend of the guy whose woman was adbucted.

Where'd she go?

Ken Lawson: She was abducted! By these strange situations that we cannot explain. But my character is, like, really deep into conspiracy theories. So that's kind of like what separated George from his friend, Alex. But I become a resource. So he reaches out to me and I come in and I lay out all the things that I know. And we end up going on a mission trying to find his lost girlfriend.

Sidney Nicole Rogers: I play Patricia and I love to describe Patricia as that friend you love, but she stirs the pot. She likes a little bit of drama, but she's also a ride-or-die friend. And that's what Lumina is about. Lumina is not just a movie about horror, but it's also a movie about heart as well. Because, I mean, our friend gets abducted by aliens, but she has a gang of friends who say, "we're going to go and try to find you in the unknown. We've never done this before." That takes a lot of heart, and that takes some ride-or-die friends. So, that's the takeaway. Lumina: get you some ride-or-die friends!

What was it like working with Eric Roberts?

Andrea Tivadar: Oh, he is. He is. He's wonderful. He's been so open to share with me different advice, industry advice, acting tips. He's great. He's a great human being and very supportive of young talent. He gets into character pretty fast. He's incredible. So hardworking. Possibly the hardest working actor in Hollywood!

Sidney Nicole Rogers: I like to describe Eric as a very chill, relaxed cowboy.

He's even got the hat!

Sidney Nicole Rogers: He has the hat in the movie! He's got a little tilt and everything with it. For me, my best moments with Eric were off camera. Just literally talking about him being a cowboy. Him telling me about his horses. I grew up riding horses. I'm from the country myself. I'm from Virginia. So, having that connection was really nice. So, yeah, that was my best memory with him.

You don't ride horses in the movie, do you?

Sidney Nicole Rogers: No, they wouldn't let me. (Laughs) But there is a donkey that someone rides in the movie. I wish I could have ridden the donkey, but no.

Tell me about your director, Gino McKoy. He wrote and directed and wore a whole bunch of hats on this movie.

Ken Lawson: Gino, man, he's a great guy, man. He's a true visionary. The fact that he was able to put everything together as far as writing the script, directing, being able to design some of the sets, you know, he's a great influence on helping me to develop the character and go into the positions that my character traveled through. It was just a very nice ride. And he was a kind director! He was really cool, man. That's my boy. I can't wait to work with him again. Just the fact that he was able to make all these things happen, because we shot in Morocco, and it's one of the first sci-fi films ever shot in Morocco.

Sidney Nicole Rogers: Gino had a vision, a very clear vision. And he executed it with his writing, his directing, and he produced it as well. He's very laid back, easy going. There were a lot of moments of collaboration where we could say, "Okay, I'm thinking this, and I'm just going to go for it." And he was like, "Yeah, that turned out great." And so that was really nice. It wasn't too strict, which is really nice.

I just think about all of the crazy locations we were shooting at in Morocco. I don't know how they even scouted those locations. I mean, there were some locations where we had to hike to even get to the place where we had to film. And, yeah, he did it well. He made sure that everyone was taken care of and safe. It was great!

Lumina's Ensemble Cast React To The On Set Presence Of The Film's Alien Monster

"There was a guy in a suit. Yes, and he was, like, eight feet tall."

It's not a spoiler to say that there's a big monster in the movie. Was it a guy in a suit, or a tennis ball on a stick? What was it like shooting those scenes?

Andrea Tivadar: Look, there's CGI in the film and I believe the monster's been modified. But when I was on set of Lumina, in the desert, and was on that film set, I was chased by a couple of creatures.

So you got to shoot with a real thing.

Andrea Tivadar: Oh, yeah. It was an immense costume. Very tall. Like, so, so cool. It really just helped to make it like real, you know?

Sidney Nicole Rogers: There was a guy in a suit. Yes, and he was, like, eight feet tall. I mean, he was already a tall person anyways, but then they had, like, stilts in his uniform or costume or whatever you want to call it. And he was scary! The head, I think the head blinked, but, like, it also had goo in the mouth that would drip down. I'm a very reactive person, I'm not that type of actor who can see a little tennis ball and imagine...

I am a very visual learner, and so having that actual person chasing you and running at full speed, that was terrifying and incredible as an actor. Then, in post, I think there are some CGI moments, but I'm so happy that it wasn't CGI when we were filming it, you know? There was one moment that I did have to interact with a green screen, but even, like, the special effects personnel, like, he was so good at describing what I was touching. Is it cold to the touch? Is it warm to the touch? Is it slimy? And I'm so appreciative of that. But that alien suit is epic.

Ken Lawson: You know, what was really interesting about shooting this film was, we shot everything in chronological order. Everything that was occurring was, like, in real time. So we didn't get introduced to the monsters and aliens until later on into the filming. Coming in contact during those scenes was pretty shocking because we'd never seen the aliens or monsters at all. It was really engaging because of the fact that these guys are like... Those dudes, they're, like, seven feet tall. It was pretty intimidating! It was very fun, shooting this film and just going through all the transitions of what my character was building up to get to those moments. It was nice.

How does your sense of style compare to that of your characters?

Andrea Tivadar: She's fashionable. She's quirky. We're both into fashion, Delilah and I. I had fun choosing her outfits with Lindsay, our costume designer.

And when it comes to running away from these horrible creatures... Shoes?

Andrea Tivadar: I was wearing heels! I was wearing heels. I've been running around in the desert with some very comfortable boots, but they had a good heel to them. I remember those nights. My goodness.

Did you get to keep them?

Andrea Tivadar: I did! I did. I got to keep them.

Sidney Nicole Rogers: That is such a great question. Because that was... I don't know how you would describe it. It wasn't a struggle. However, it was a big conversation. My style. When you see the movie, you'll see that Patricia, my character, she's always in pants. She's always in pants, maybe a flannel. There's always a type of jacket. Pants. And the other ladies, they're in dresses. And they're very feminine in the way that they dress. They're wearing heels and all these things. Part of that was because they didn't have my size! And it was a real struggle trying to find my size.

I did not know it was going to be a struggle, but I have dealt with that a lot in this industry. Being curvy. But it was also important that I am curvy. And I am rocking my natural hair. They didn't straighten my hair for this movie. But it was all embraced. The way that I look fully, it was embraced in this movie. And that's so important. I wear a lot of my own clothing in the movie as well. And that brought a little bit of Sidney, but a lot of Patricia as well.

More About Lumina (2024)

Lumina follows Alex and his three companions as they desperately search for Alex’s inexplicably abducted girlfriend, Tatiana. The quartet ventures from Los Angeles to the sands of the Sahara in search of a deep underground military base to unravel the mystery. On their journey, they encounter a myriad of shadowy, dangerous individuals, including enigmatic Area 51 expert Thom (played by Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts). Whether the group finds Tatiana or not, their lives will be changed forever.

Check out our other NYCC 2024 interviews here:

• Lumina Director Gino McKoy
• Jason Blum on Blumhouse 2025 Slate

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Lumina

Sci-Fi

Horror

Lumina (2024) is a science fiction horror film directed by Gino McKoy. The movie follows a gripping tale of four friends who embark on a desperate journey to find their friend, Tatiana, who has been abducted by mysterious forces. Their quest leads them to a Deep Underground Military Base (DUMB), where they encounter both government agents and an alien threat that puts their lives in peril. The story is set across various locations, from the deserts of the United States to the sands of the Sahara, as the group faces unimaginable dangers and uncovers dark secrets that will forever change their lives.

Director

Gino McKoy

Release Date

July 12, 2024

Writers

Gino McKoy

Cast

Eric Roberts , Eleanor Williams , Rupert Lazarus , Sidney Nicole Rogers , Ken Lawson , Andrea Tivadar , Emily Hall , Hami Belal

Runtime

120 Minutes

Main Genre

Sci-Fi