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 onset that even his agent didn’t recognize him. Look at these famous aliens out of costume–they’re out of this world!
The Woman With Many Alien Faces
Zoe Saldana has become a staple of sci-fi, even though many people have never seen her face. She acted as Neytiri in Avatar and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers. After Avatar, Saldana told STV that she appreciated how Neytiri looked “lean with a really cute bod.”
By the time she played Gamora, Saldana had to clarify that she’s not eye-candy. Playing CGI characters empowers her, according to an interview in The Daily Telegraph’s Stellar Magazine. “I think science fiction has given me the ability as an artist to be colorblind and gender-blind,” she said.
~
Turning A Woman Into A Bug
Pom Klementieff joined Guardians of the Galaxy in the sequel as Mantis, the insect-humanoid alien. The actress told Metro that she wore prosthetics at the beginning of her forehead, but the rest was all CGI. Hence, she didn’t spend as much time in the makeup chair as other actresses.
According to Klementieff, the makeup artists tested several different looks for Mantis’s design. “We tried different wigs; at some point, the makeup artists drew veins on my face…I looked really crazy. And then we decided to go for something a little more human.”
~
The Gentle Giant Who Became Predator
While casting for the 1987 movie Predator, the staff initially chose Jean-Claude Van Damme. After he dropped out, they switched to a 7’4? musical actor named Kevin Peter Hall. The producers wanted someone who could overshadow Arnold Schwarzenegger, and only a Hall could pull that off.
Hall referred to his alien acting as “grunt roles,” since he never spoke beyond growling or yelling. Although the suit was hard to navigate, Hall enjoyed playing the Predator. “I’m bigger than life and so, in a way, I’m part of the fantasy/science fiction/horror genre,” he said.
~
The Man Behind The Epic Snap
When Josh Brolin was offered the role of Thanos in the Avengers series, he hesitated at first. He told Entertainment Weekly Radio that he didn’t want to do “practically nothing” in front of a green screen. But after he saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting in motion capture during The Hobbit, he realized that CGI characters were no joke.
Unlike other alien characters, Brolin’s role was 100% CGI. Nonetheless, he felt nervous in front of 32 cameras with his face covered in iridescent paint. “It was very, very different,” he later said. “But I like it. It’s fun.”
~
Working As A Deputy And A Wookie
The beloved Wookie in Star Wars is all thanks to Peter Mayhew, an actor who towered at 7’4?. His suit was layered with a combination of real yak and rabbit, and it included a water-cooling system so Mayhew wouldn’t overheat. Amazingly, Mayhew kept his day job as a deputy head porter while filming the movies.
According to makeup supervisor Stuart Freeborn, the biggest problem with Mayhew’s suit was the eyes. His eyes would frequently detach from the suit, which made them look separate and hollow. He passed away in 2019 at 74 years old.
~
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.
~
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.
~
Even His Agent Didn’t Recognize Him
.jpg){kind=link}
Australian actor Eric Bana switched up his career by playing Nero in the 2009 movie Star Trek. Bana had to sit in a makeup chair for three hours. On his first day, he didn’t remember anything before lunch because of all the chemicals. When his agent arrived, he didn’t even recognize Bana.
Despite the challenges, Bana loved playing an unrecognizable character. “Those opportunities in Hollywood are so rare,” Bana told The Sydney Morning Herald. After the makeup, Bana couldn’t recognize his own facial expressions. He had to re-calibrate his acting to fit Nero’s costume.
~
From The Oscars To A Space Bar
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o turned orange for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She played Maz Kanata, a tiny pirate alien. “I didn’t really know what I was auditioning for,” Nyong’o admitted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
To play the CGI character, Nyong’o had to wear motion-capture dots and Maz’s goggles. Nyong’o told Insider that the script was kept a secret. An assistant would fly the script to her in Morocco, give her a couple of hours to read it, and then take it again. She couldn’t even tell her mother.
~
From Redhead To Blue Alien
Red-haired actress Karen Gillan transformed into a blue robotic alien for Guardians of the Galaxy. Her minor role was so popular that she appeared beside Iron Man in Avengers: Endgame. Nebula’s design wasn’t painted on Gillan; it was a claustrophobic costume.
Gillan told Variety that the suit was glued to her, which made it difficult to move her face. “I think it’s stopping me from overacting,” she added. After filming, Gillan said that she would watch behind-the-scenes footage of Zoe Saldana’s making getting done so she felt like hers “wasn’t so bad.”
~
How A Comedian Became Terrifying
.jpg){kind=link}
The comedic actor from The Flight of the Conchords took a different route in Men in Black III. Jemaine Clement became the bike-riding, time-traveling alien Boris through hours of makeup. “I think the first day we put the makeup on, it took eight hours,” Clement recalled. On a normal day, the makeup would take four hours.
Clement said that he didn’t mind the four hours because it gave him a chance to talk to the legendary makeup artist, Rick Baker. His appearance was so effective that when Clement joined the staff for lunch, no one would know who he was.
~
Korg, The Director
Director Taika Waititi not only guided Thor: Ragnarok, but also lent his voice to the fan-favorite alien, Korg. In an interview with The Last Leg, Waititi said that Korg’s voice reflected delicate, lovely Polynesian bouncers he met in New Zealand.
The director went on camera and improvised many of Korg’s lines in the movie, and the special effects team transformed him into a seven-foot-six rock man. On the Jimmy Kimmel show, Waititi revealed that Korg will come back in the fourth movie, Thor: Love and Thunder. He seemed surprised at the ripple of cheers from the audience.
~
One Actor Played All The Aliens In District 9
In an interview with Gizmodo, director Neill Blomkamp revealed that one actor played all the aliens in District 9. Jason Cope hopped from set to set in motion capture sensors to play multiple roles. During the eviction scene, Cope and fellow actor Sharlto Copely improvised all dialogue.
During an interview with Love-It-Loud, Cope said that he and Sharlto filled in wherever they had to–helping the wardrobe, acting as soldiers, and directing the art department. When asked how many characters he ended up playing, Cope said, “I have no idea. It must be close to fifty, perhaps more.”
~
Acting While On Stilts
Although John Carter tanked in the box office, we can’t forget that Willem Dafoe played the green-skinned chieftain Tars Tarkas. To play a nine-foot-tall alien, Dafoe had to wear motion capture and act on stilts. On top of that, Dafoe had to navigate a rough, uneven Southwest terrain.
Rather than feeling intimidated, Dafoe excitedly accepted the challenge. “Always as an actor you’re looking for things to jump off from, to find new ways of thinking, new ways of looking,” Dafoe told Coming Soon. “The stilts were part of that.”
~
Oscar-Nominated Makeup Will Transform A Person
When French-Algerian dancer Sofia Boutella played Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond, her fans didn’t recognize her. She spent four hours every day in a makeup chair with an Oscar-nominated team. Joel Harlow, the Academy Award-winning makeup artist, said that only Boutella’s nose, mouth, and chin were hers. The rest were prosthetics.
Despite the hours of painstaking application, Boutella loved the costume. She said that it allowed a meditation process to get her into character. “I like that second skin,” she told an interviewer with FilmIsNow. “It’s like, as soon as I had it on, you feel in character.”
~
Wake Up At Four, Film Until Nine
In 2016, actor and musician Idris Elba spent several hours transforming into Krall for Star Trek Beyond. “Typically, my day would start at 4:15 in the morning. I’d be in the chair until around 7:30, shoot about 8:30,” he told Entertainment Weekly. Shooting would go until 9:00 p.m., and then he’d do the entire thing over again.
Elba also said that he’s claustrophobic and didn’t enjoy all the prosthetics on his face. Head makeup artist Joel Harlow said that the aliens in Star Trek Beyond followed aquatic and lizard-like designs that required hours of prosthetic application.
~
Drax’s Entire Body Was All Makeup
When Dave Bautista began his wrestling career in 1999, he probably didn’t expect to sit in a makeup chair for five hours every day to apply 18 prosthetic pieces. That was his daily life while playing Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy. Before the makeup, Bautista applied a medical adhesive across his entire body.
The makeup was sealed so that it would stay on for the entire day. As a result, it was very difficult to take off. “I had to sit in a sauna for 45 minutes to an hour,” Bautista said. After it melted off, producers would remove it with more chemicals.
~
Cate Blanchett In Thor: Ragnarok
The marvelous Cate Blanchett played the character of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, otherwise known as the Goddess of Death. She was certainly terrifying with her massive antlers, known for destroying anyone in her path. Blanchett nailed the character even though it was something that she might usually not play.
However, according to Blanchett, “I just try to look the best I can at whatever age I am […] I always find people attractive when they are comfortable with their own skin and not trying to be someone else, but their best selves.
~
Mads Mikkelsen In Doctor Strange
and
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen is known for his ability to play just about any role ranging from Hannibal Lecter to a Bond villain. However, in order to become Kaecilius in Doctor Strange, some altercations had to be made.
He had to receive makeup around his eyes that made him look like a colorful raccoon, as well as dye his hair. In addition, his already prominent bone structure helped to really sell the part. Another villainous part, check
~
Paul The Alien Wasn’t Even On Set
While most alien movies are serious, Paul takes a hilarious turn–especially with Seth Rogen as the alien. Throughout his role, Rogen was also under contract for The Green Hornet, so he had to play Paul while not being on set.
A co-star, Joe Lo Truglio, acted in Rogen’s place during the shooting. Afterward, Rogen created some of Truglio’s lines and improv. He performed all the motion capture and voice acting post-production. In an interview with Collider, co-star Nick Frost admitted that he kept forgetting that Rogen was playing Paul.
~