Movies
Meet Bolaji Badejo, the man who brought Ridley Scott’s Alien to life
The Alien franchise wouldn’t be what it is without its Xenomorphs, with the original Ridley Scott movie only being possible because of one very tall man.
Alien, the long-standing sci-fi horror franchise created by Ridley Scott decades ago, completely changed the face of cinema and its various genres from the moment it released. The series has since used animatronics, CGI, and very occasionally costumed actors to help bring its titular monsters, the Xenomorphs, to life. But none compares to the original actor behind the creature, Bolaji Badejo, a 6′6 tall man from Nigeria who brought the iconic species to life.
Although Sigourney Weaver got all the fame, very well deserved, no less important was the role of Badejo, since his physical characteristics made him a person to whom the xenomorph suit fit like a glove, besides being incredibly tall he was almost unnaturally thin. Badejo spent his youth in Nigeria, moving to the United States and eventually to London, where he began his studies in graphic design.
It was in the English capital, specifically in a pub in Soho, where a member of the film’s set made him the offer to become the terrifying xenomorph from ‘Alien, which he accepted. Shortly after its premiere, he moved back to Nigeria, where he began managing his own art gallery in 1983, although unfortunately, he would die at the young age of 39 due to sickle cell anemia, a disease that hinders circulation and causes the formation of thrombi, vascular obstructions and microinfarcts in different organs.
Another performer has picked up the exoskeleton
Badejo was the precursor of other actors with peculiar physical characteristics, such as the current actor behind the monsters, Javier Botet. Originally from Ciudad Real in Spain, with a height of 2 meters and significant thinness, Botet has participated in films such as ‘REC’, ‘The Last Voyage of Demeter’ and ‘It’.
However, since we are talking about the saga created by Ridley Scott more than 4 decades ago, Botet also became a xenomorph. It was specifically in ‘Alien Covenant’ (2017), which despite having been Scott himself who took the reins for directing and producing, was not spared numerous criticisms.
Follow MeriStation USA on X (formerly known as Twitter). Your video game and entertainment website for all the news, updates, and breaking news from the world of video games, movies, series, manga, and anime. Previews, reviews, interviews, trailers, gameplay, podcasts and more. Follow us now!