The idea that there is life beyond Earth is a commonly held belief. For director Gino McKoy, conversations with friends and family helped spur his willingness to investigate extraterrestrial phenomena. His new feature, Lumina, hit theaters on July 12th, 2024, and hopes to increase conversation about the topic. Lumina stars Eric Roberts, one of Hollywood’s hardest-working actors and a veteran of big and small-budget movies alike. McKoy and Roberts sat down with FandomWire to open up about Lumina and its importance in the discourse.
Eric Roberts on His Role in Lumina
Eric Roberts remains one of the hardest-working actors in Hollywood. After breaking through in the mainstream with Bob Fosse’s Star 80, he became a character actor in the years that followed. Comic book fans likely remember his turn as Salvatore Maroni in The Dark Knight, which spurred on his casting in Lumina. McKoy notes, “I watched a lot of Eric’s movies, like Runaway Train and, of course, The Dark Knight. He was a villain, and of course, Eric was amazing.”
Roberts does not see his role in Lumina as a villain, though. “Tom is the kind of man who is probably, if not the head of his class, the top one percent. He’s very bright, a government employee, and knows there are aliens.” The role plays an antagonistic role as our heroes dig deeper into the conspiracy. Yet Ted is off-the-grid in a way that does not attract attention.
McKoy’s Influences on Lumina and Robert’s E.T. Comparison
Throughout Lumina, images and characters resemble popular tropes in science fiction. There are active references to the X-Files and Men in Black throughout the movie. We asked how you build a unique lore when those properties exist, and he opened up about the process. “I pulled from personal experience with people. Like former military guys, former Marines, and talked about their experience with UFO abduction lore. What would someone’s personal experience be if they lost someone?”
Of course, some popular movies and directors inspired his approach as well. “I would say a lot was inspired by Predator. I spent three days with John McTieran, talking about movies. That was a great experience for me.” Meanwhile, Roberts admits that Lumina explores the concept of aliens in ways most movies are unwilling to examine. “I think it’s the closest we’ve come since E.T. to honestly accepting, yes, they are here. They are among us.”
That helped convince Roberts to sign onto Lumina in the supporting role. When asked if he believes in aliens, Roberts was empathic. “How can there not be? How can we be so pompous to think we’re the only living, breathing thing in the universe? That’s kind of impossible. That’s why I made this movie because it needs to be talked about.” McKoy agrees. “I’ve had my own personal experiences and speaking to people that have been abducted and have experienced this type of phenomena, definitely yes.”
Lumina and Its Message
Even with a small budget, Roberts believes indie movies like Lumina are important for viewers to consider. “To me, it can be an indie film, or it can be The Dark Knight and the biggest budget I’ve ever been in. I don’t judge something by the budget. I judge them by the directors and the writers. If they have a good guy in both, I’m down for it.”
We concluded our time with McKoy and Roberts, asking what they hope audiences take away from Lumina. “I would say that it’s real. It could happen to you. It happened to anyone, and definitely think about it psychologically. If you lost the one you love, how far would you go to get them back if they were abducted by aliens? It really is a thought-provoking question. People will start thinking about it, and that’s the whole point.” Roberts agrees. “What he said.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Watch the full interview with Roberts and McKoy here.
Watch Lumina in theaters beginning July 12, 2024.
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