Since the dawn of sci-fi movies, Hollywood has transformed actors into fantastic and terrifying aliens. In the early days, artists created costumes; now, it’s CGI. Both are so effective that most people don’t know what the real actor looks like.
These actors deserve praise as well, and many of them are fascinating even out of costume. Meet two iconic “aliens” who stand over seven feet tall, and the actor who looked so different on set that even his agent didn’t recognize him. Look at these famous aliens out of costume–they’re out of this world!
His Blood Doesn’t Look Acidic
In 1979, Bolaji Badejo was scouted for his first and only role: the extraterrestrial from Alien. According to Vanity Fair, producers found the Nigerian actor in a London pub. He stands at 6’10”, and had the “thin, insect-like profile” that Ridley Scott wanted for the alien. In the suit, he stood at seven feet tall.
Badejo likened the headpiece to being struck with a giant banana. He had to wear the suit in 15-minute increments to avoid overheating. On top of that, his suit was covered in cellulose slime that zapped his body heat.
The King Of CGI
Andy Serkis has dominated the realm of CGI characters for years, from Gollum in The Lord of the Rings to Caesar in Planet of the Apes to Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Serkis is no stranger to what he calls “visual makeup.”
Serkis told The Independent that, because motion capture doesn’t involve hours of prosthetic makeup, actors can play their character more truthfully. “There is no difference between performance-capture technology and conventional acting,” he clarified. For Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Serkis studied gorillas to recreate their movements for the role.