Caliee Spaeny’s “fucking problem” with her dream acting role: “I want to do that”

Posted On January 24, 2026January 24, 2026

Between starring in new films from Sofia Coppola, Rian Johnson, and Alex Garland, and then becoming the new face of the Alien franchise, Cailee Spaeny has done more before the age of 28 than most performers could achieve within their entire career, but her career ambitions include some roles that are somewhat out of reach.

Although the group of young movie stars often referred to as the ‘next generation’ of the industry often includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Florence Pugh, and Austin Butler, Spaeny’s name shouldn’t be left off the list. As the winner of the Venice Film Festival’s ‘Best Actress’ prize and the star of several number-one hit box office films, she boasts a pretty impressive track record already.

What’s exciting about Spaeny’s trajectory is that she is clearly a cinephile and has indicated a desire to make meaningful films with directors whom she admires. It’s too often that promising young stars get swept up by the studio machine and are forced to play recurring roles in franchises, but Spaeny has already appeared in a multitude of original films.

While she did take on the lead role in the prequel Alien: Romulus, an exception can be made for the Alien franchise, as the saga has a history of centring strong female protagonists, and its alumni include Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Noomi Rapace, and Katherine Waterston, so she’s in perfect company.

Spaeny’s willingness to fight for roles has led her to be outspoken about the parts that she is offered, so when discussing roles like Rust Cohle in True Detective or Luke Jackson in Cool Hand Luke, she told Flaunt that she was upset that there weren’t similarly complex parts written for women.

“This is the fucking problem!” she sighed exasperated, “Every time I think of these awesome characters, I’m like, ‘Why aren’t any of them women?’ So yeah, let’s do a woman Paul Newman-esque film. I want to do that.”

Citing Cool Hand Luke as a desired role is an interesting selection on Spaeny’s behalf, as the classic prison drama has only grown in estimation over the years. While it was well-received at the time of its release, even winning George Kennedy the Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, Cool Hand Luke came to define the anti-establishment movement that was critical to the New Hollywood era.

While the actor isn’t expressing the desire to remake the film, as to do so would seem unusual considering how beloved the original is, she is right in pointing out that there aren’t parts like that written for women. The problem is that these sorts of roles are disappearing altogether as Hollywood has invested so much in big-budget productions that small, character dramas made on a studio level have almost entirely disappeared.

While replicating Newman might be a goal that Spaeny will have to work on for several more years, her other dream role might be slightly more tangible, such that while True Detective may have initially starred Matthew McConaughey in the role of Cohle, the series was transformed into an anthology during its second season, and has since included prominent female stars like Rachel McAdams and Jodie Foster. Granted, none of the subsequent seasons have been quite as well-received as the first, but if someone of Spaeny’s talent were to get involved in upcoming seasons, there would certainly be a lot of excitement for the HBO show.

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