Emmanuelle Chriqui Talks 'Trippy' but 'Oddly Plausible' New Sci-FI Movie 'Cosmic Dawn' (Exclusive)

Actress Emmanuelle Chriqui stars in the 'trippy' new sci-fi movie Cosmic Dawn, which takes viewers on a colorful and mind-bending journey, but still feels "oddly plausible," according to the film's star. While speaking exclusively to PopCulture.com about the new film, Chriqui offered her thoughts on Cosmic Dawn, explaining, "I think the thing that makes it work was that it also felt so grounded. It felt so oddly plausible."

Chriqui continued, "It's like this extraordinary circumstance, but then suddenly you're so invested in these characters and you're like, 'Wait, is this real? Could this be real? Is it not? Is it a figment of imagination? Is everyone on drugs? What's happening?'" She then went on to praise the filmmaker behind Cosmic Dawn, saying, "I think that Jefferson Moneo, our director writer, he just found the perfect balance for our movie because when you watch it, it's so trippy and the vibe is so cool with the music and the mood, like a little Stranger Things vintage quality, something so unique that we don't see very often. And you're left with like, whoa, I was taken on a journey."

Cosmic Dawn is a twisty tale about a woman named Aurora — played by Camille Rowe (Apple TV+'s Invasion) — who, as a child, witnessed her mother's alien abduction. Now an adult, Aurora is struggling with the direction her life is headed, which, incidentally, leads her right to Natalie, a book store clerk. Natalie brings Aurora into a cult, led by the enigmatic Elyse (Antonia Zegers) who attempts to bring her new perspective on the future. However, Aurora eventually learns that the group may be hiding things for more sinister under its brightly painted aura.

Speaking about taking on the role, Chriqui said, "I think that was part of the intrigue for me in playing Natalie, because I think initially, when you first see it, you're like, 'Okay, whatever, Natalie at the bookshop, doing her thing, sweet and cute, luring in Aurora, blah, blah, blah, blah.' But you come to see that that's all part of an act and that when Aurora does agree to come up for the weekend, all bets are off. And we really see what Natalie's intentions were and that she has sort of special abilities, so to speak, special skills. And she is in deep."

Chriqui later went on to add, "I just responded so much to the script and I think that Jefferson's vision of what he wanted spoke to me so much. And I think I just have always been naturally very taken with cults. It's fascinating, right? I've been talking about this this morning a lot, just this notion that people or humans are so easily manipulated and brainwashed and if their circumstance is less than ideal, they're even more prone to being lured in."

The actress continued, "So there's so many conversation points about this film, right? There's that, there's the cults, there's a alien abduction, are aliens real, is there an alternate universe? All of the things. So, I'm actually very intrigued by all of that. I was was like, "Yes please. I want to do it." Cosmic Dawn is now available to rent or buy on various streaming platforms, such as Apple TV and Amazon.