There’s no such thing as a small role for actress Seychelle Gabriel (TV’s Blackout). In The Tomorrow War, which hits Amazon Prime July 2, Gabriel stars as Sgt. Diaz, a soldier from the future tasked to train a group of civilians on how to use military-grade weapons to fight off an invading alien species that is using the human race as a food source.
While Gabriel’s role is secondary to the main narrative, she was excited to get on the set of a big sci-fi movie with actor Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) and get locked and loaded for combat. “I teach people how to shoot guns,” Gabriel told Remezcla during a recent interview. “Prior to this movie, I had never shot a gun before.”
That might come as a surprise to some viewers since in The Tomorrow War, Gabriel, who is half Mexican, shows off some impressive shooting abilities. “I had to shoot what was basically an AR-15,” she said. “You learn how to respect the skill required to operate such a complex and powerful weapon. You have to brace yourself.”
This isn’t the first time Gabriel has starred in a project that features an alien invasion. She played Lourdes Delgado in four seasons of Falling Skies, a TV series executive produced by Steven Spielberg. It’s not a fact that is lost on Gabriel, but it was only coincidental.
“I gravitate to stuff mainly through the script,” she says. “The fact that it was sci-fi just happened that way. For an action movie, I thought the time travel aspect [in The Tomorrow War] was really neat and original.”
So, how does Gabriel feel like she would do if she were forced into a military draft and had to fight against a planet filled with man-eating creatures?
“I have a small frame, so I think I would hide in little corners,” she said. “I could be a lookout if someone needed that. Otherwise, unfortunately, I might not contribute at all. The aliens are quite frightening.”