‘Resident Alien’: Alice Wetterlund Addresses D’Arcy’s Alcoholism: ‘I Love How D’Arcy Handles Pain’
One of the fans’ most loved characters from Resident Alien is the one and only D’Arcy, played by actor Alice Wetterlund. D’Arcy is a spitfire in the TV series, enthusiastic, a bit nuts, and fights for feminism. But D’Arcy has her demons to deal with behind her charismatic persona. From dealing with her failed career to overdrinking, Wetterland dives deep into her character’s battles.
D’Arcy deals with the guilt of her failed Olympic career in ‘Resident Alien’
In the series, D’Arcy is more complex than people realize. She was set to leave Patience, Colorado, behind as a gifted skier in the Olympics. But tragedy hits, and she gets a career-ending injury that stops her future. D’Arcy stays in town, works at the local bar, and is a certified mountain rescuer. Throughout the series, fans see the subtle problems D’Arcy faces.
She knows she has trouble choosing the wrong men and gravitating toward bad boys. But behind the character’s enthusiastic charm is turmoil. She feels guilty about her career ending due to a fluke accident. In Resident Alien Season 2 Episode 4, fans witness how D’Arcy cannot have a simple dinner with her parents.
While they know how hard it has been for their daughter, they unknowingly make things worse by berating her job choices and relationships. Fans have seen D’Arcy, more than once, find comfort in drinking, getting black-out drunk. Wetterlund explains why her Resident Alien character’s misuse with alcohol resonate with her.
Alice Wetterlund sees a piece of herself in D’Arcy’s story in ‘Resident Alien’
Fans got to ask Resident Alien showrunner Chris Sheridan and Wetterlund questions about the series. A fan on Reddit asked Wetterlund how she feels about D’Arcy’s alcoholism. The fans explain, “What often hits me the most is the scene where she wakes up in the bar and does the old hangover raw egg in the beer and she just sits with it on her face. It’s so real and sad, same with her loved ones just skirting the problems for so long..”
Wetterlund answered honestly why that aspect of D’Arcy’s storyline is important. “I am pretty open about my struggles with substance abuse and my recovery. I love how D’arcy handles pain. And it was important for me to bring some reality to the character without shoving it down peoples throats that she’s an alcoholic, and I think the writers have done an amazing job of threading the needle,” explained the actor.
The actor further explains how Resident Alien breaks away from other series handling the topic. “So often I have seen portrayals of addiction on TV shows where the problem just magically disappears and I like that D’arcy is not going in that direction.”
The series showrunner and Alice Wetterlund hope to see a silver lining for D’Arcy
D’Arcy is a complex character who deserves to feel happy about the life she has created for herself. A fan on Reddit wonders if she and her parents will get to develop a more solid relationship. The actor answers that D’Arcy is also part of the problem.
Wetterlund hopes for more and explains, “It would be amazing to see Darcy have some kind of new relationship with her mom and dad whether they grow or not. She bears some responsibility, too. Her parents are only working with the tools they have, they might be insensitive pricks but they really are doing what they think is best. And they have a daughter who is a bit of a handful.”
Sheridan chimes on and says D’Arcy’s stories can be challenging to write. “Every D’arcy scene is both fun and difficult to write for myself and all of the writers. The only way to effectively write this or any other show is to really get inside the character’s skin, and living inside D’arcy is a very challenging place to be emotionally.”
He explains that D’Arcy has her demons to deal with. Fans can expect an even bigger story arc for D’Arcy in Resident Alien Season 2 Part 2, as she helps Asta and Harry cover up a murder and get closer to the alien truth.
