It's not uncommon for actors to specialize in sci-fi, but it's far less common for them to snag two simultaneous roles that hold such an artful parallel. In 2023, that's exactly what happened for an underrated performer in the TV industry.
Since Dollhouse was canceled after two seasons in 2010, Enver Gjokaj has been something of a journeyman actor. He's popped up in various franchises, with perhaps his most notable role since Dollhouse being Daniel Sousa in Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, his two most recent projects are what hold such compelling relevance to each other.
Enver Gjokaj's roles in Resident Alien and Invasion put him on either side of a battle between extraterrestrials and humanity
2022 marked Gjokaj's first apperance as Joseph Rainer in Syfy's Resident Alien, with his Grey Alien hybrid character aiding the show's primary villains in their plan to take over the world and kill all humans. While he initially had only a minor role in his season 2 debut, he went on to be a main character when season 3 arrived in 2024.
In the year that separated Resident Alien seasons 2 and 3, Gjokaj had also landed the role of Clark Evans in Apple TV+'s second season of Invasion. He has since reprised the role in Invasion season 3, which premiered in 2025. So, 2023 was the first year that had Gjokaj among the cast of both shows, and Invasion allowed him to play a character staving off nefarious aliens, which felt like a coy nod to his performances as Joseph.
Gjokaj was great in Resident Alien, but he was always on the cusp of only ever being a supporting character who wasn't technically essential to the larger storyline. By the time the show ended, he had racked up a total of 12 appearances. Inversely, he has already played Clark in Invasion 20 times.
Being in both Resident Alien and Invasion allowed Enver Gjokaj to showcase more of his talents at once
The similarities between Resident Alien and Invasion are incredibly superficial. While they both revolve around the well-trodden sci-fi trope of humanity staving off an alien invasion, they could not approach their respective stories any differently from each other if they tried. Resident Alien did require its cast to bring some deeply emotional scenes to life, but it also busied itself with making the audience laugh. Gjokaj thrived in Resident Alien, regardless of what each scene asked of him. He was funny when he needed to be, and also brought gravitas to the dramatic sequences.
For Invasion, Gjokaj has pretty much shelved his comedic acting skills. The show is a straight-up epic that only occasionally folds humor into its gritty formula. As such, the Apple TV+ project doesn't use Gjokaj to his fullest potential, but it does use him correctly within the context of the show. Still, when he was also in Resident Alien, it was possible to watch him do what he does best in a far wider category of scenes.
Invasion is streaming now on Apple TV+. Resident Alien is available on Peacock.