Tyler Blackburn portrays Alex Manes in The CW’s hit series Roswell, New Mexico. The show first premiered back in 2019 and is now in its third season. New episodes of season three air Mondays at 8:00PM. Roswell, New Mexico was already renewed for a fourth season as well!
With Max Evans (Nathan Dean) coming face to face in the final moments of Season 2 with an alien that looks like him… Season 3 will find him, and his alien siblings, tasked to uncover who exactly this mysteries figure is. meanwhile, we’ll find our intrepid Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason) living out her dream job, high paid and changing the world in at a lab in California with an ocean view. But a series of events will prove that our one-time lover’s connection might not be severed for good. Which is good timing, as in addition to a mysterious alien that looks just like Max offers context to why our heroes are on Earth in the first place, a mysterious radio signal begins broadcasting across Roswell, Alex Manes (Tyler Blackburn) finds himself in the crosshairs of a new clandestine organization and Michael (Michael Vlamis), Isobel (Lily Cowles) and Rosa (Amber Midthunder) all begin exhibiting new powers. Confusing things even further is an eerie glimpse Maria (Heather Hemmens) gets of the future…. Someone they love is going to die.
I had the pleasure of speaking with the actor about this season’s time jump, the fan response to his character, which PLL character he’d bring to Roswell, Alex’s “cosmic” relationship, and so much more! Keep reading to find out all the details.
What was it like to do the time jump this season and see what that time has done for your character?
Tyler Blackburn: Yeah, well, it’s definitely been an interesting time lapse. Last time, before the lapse, you see his father being killed, which probably brought about a lot of complex thoughts and emotions for him. So, to have that time jump, he probably had a lot of therapy during that time. I feel like he comes into season three with like a little bit of a lighter energy, he’s probably had to the process a lot of that stuff. He has just a little bit more freedom within himself to be himself and I think that that’s probably one of the most evident things. He and Guerin have sort of stepped away from each other, but I think that’s probably for the best at this point. So, he’s kind of just exploring himself in a really new light.
I don’t have to tell you that your character is a fan favorite on the show, I’m sure you’re very aware of that. So, what has that been like to see the fan response, how much they respond to this character, love this character, and root for him?
Yeah, I mean, that I can talk about for a while, because it’s pretty amazing, in a nutshell. I feel like to live in a day and age now where a gay character can be celebrated so much, just in the masses is so important, which is one of the main reasons I really wanted to take on the role, because there is such a shift in narrative. I just think the fact that it’s so supported as a storyline and he’s so supported as a character, it’s really inspiring to me. So, it feels gratifying and as an actor, to be able to express love towards another man on camera, it’s pretty liberating because it’s been a taboo thing for so long. So, it’s really empowering as an actor.
The show has already been renewed for another season, so huge congrats on that. What was that moment like when you found out the news? I believe you were still filming, so it must have been nice to know like this wouldn’t be the last time playing this character.
Yeah, I mean, everything has been a whirlwind in 2020 and 2021 now. We were shooting season three during the pandemic, which was equally intense and comforting at the same time just knowing we had a job and things like that. So, it was a crazy time. Then hearing about season four definitely felt like a whirlwind, but also great because it just solidified multiple things: that the cast and crew would have work and also, that the fans clearly are stoked. So, that’s great.
Again, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that you are also part of a fan favorite ship. So, what can you tease about them?
Yeah, well, I’m not gonna say too much because I definitely think that this season has some interesting moments in it that I think should be left to surprise, but I think that at the base of everything no matter what their actual relationship status is, to quote the show, there’s something cosmic about them. That kind of love just never goes away completely. So, they are taking time apart, they don’t have a relationship outside of just kind of friends at this point, but I think that they’re building a foundation that could potentially lead to something else. I think that their history was like so wrought with just chaos and a little bit of trauma, I’d say. So, I think this is an opportunity for them to sort of reimagine themselves and potentially their relationship, so you’ll have to see how that unfolds. It’s not like just overnight they’re gonna wake up and be in the same bed together, you know? So, there’s a progression.
Obviously, this is not your first hit show, you were also on Pretty Little Liars. So, if you could bring any of the PLL characters to Roswell, New Mexico for an episode, which would you pick? Caleb, can be included as a choice too.
Oh, that would be interesting. Man, I might bring Caleb, but I also might bring Spencer, because Caleb and Spencer, they both are extremely intelligent and well versed in computers and things of that nature that could be advantageous to have around in Roswell. So, I’ll say Spencer, I think that would be interesting. I also feel like she would probably really believe everything that’s going on pretty easily. I can’t imagine the other girls being like extremely on board with everything.
For the next episode, we got some promo pictures and fans were beyond excited to see that Alex will be having a scene with Liz. What can you tease about that?
Yeah, it’s definitely fun to have scenes with Jeanine. They are friends, they’ve been friends for so long. So, we don’t really see them interact too much. The scene, basically, I’m doing Liz a favor and I think that ultimately it just shows their dynamic and it shows that everything aside, they’re just always going to be there for each other, to help and kind of talk each other down a bit. So, that’s kind of what you see as evidence in that scene. Yeah, I think it’s gonna be good. Jeanine is just such a delight. She’s always in a good mood, which it’s like, “How can I have some of that? Please give it to me.” She’s so made for this role, not even just as Liz, but as the female lead of a show. She’s just so empowering and so empowered. I really actually look up to her a lot. I call her for advice, it’s funny how sometimes art imitates life in that way. Jeanine is incredible, she’s so deserving of what she is experiencing in life right now. Suddenly, this is like an interview about Jeanine — no, but I just love her so much. So, it’s fun to work with her.
If you could create a tagline to describe what is to come for Alex in the rest of the season, what would you pick?
I’m trying to remember every detail of what does come, because we shoot it and then it’s like, “Wait, what did we shoot,” because I want to give a good answer. I keep thinking of those Housewives shows, where they have taglines that are — I haven’t watched one of those in years — but they’re like, “I love money and dogs,” that’s like their tagline. What is Alex’s? I think that there is a really interesting turn for him where he starts to question what he knows to be true. So like, ‘All is not what it seems,’ maybe? Something like that. I mean, that’s kind of applicable to those Housewives, because I’m sure what you see on screen is not the truth.