What Your Favorite Movie Alien Really Looks Like

Since the beginning of horror and sci-fi movies, actors have been transformed into an array of wondrous and terrifying creatures.

As film progressed and CGI became more and more prevalent, artists could turn actors into completely unrecognizable characters and creatures.

As fascinating as these creatures are, it’s important to remember these actors are terrific even out of these costumes.

However, in this list you will encounter aliens over seven feet tall and even actors who weren’t recognized by people who knew them well.

Chance Encounter

Bolaji Badejo might not be a name that rings a bell, however, you certainly know and recognize his one and only film role. Bolaji was the person inside the iconic Xenomorph costume in the film Alien.

After having been discovered in a London pub, the 6’10” Nigerian actor stood seven feet tall in costume.

According to director Ridley Scott the actor had the “thin, insect-like profile” that he wanted. As fantastic as his portrayal of the alien was, Badejo wasn’t the biggest fan of his costume.

The actor described the headpiece as being similar to getting hit by a giant banana. Due to overheating, the actor couldn’t wear the suit for more than 15 minutes at a time.

The Woman Better Known As…

Despite the fact that many people haven’t seen her face, Zoe Saldana has become somewhat of a staple in sci-fi films.

While many people recognize her as the green skinned Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy films, one of her biggest roles left her completely unrecognizable.

Saldana portrayed the character of Neytiri in Avatar, which was almost entirely computer generated.

According to Saldana, she feels empowered by playing CGI characters. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph’s Stellar Magazine she stated: “I think science fiction has given me the ability as an artist to be colorblind and gender-blind,” she said.

Bugging Her

Another Guardians of the Galaxy star, Pom Klementieff was turned into the insectoid character Mantis. Unlike many other actors, Klementieff admits that she didn’t need to spend much time in the makeup chair.

The only prosthetics she wore were on her forehead while SGI was used to fill in the rest.

However, there were several other ideas and looks that were tried before settling on the final design. According to the actress: “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 Man Who Snapped

Few people know that Josh Brolin didn’t immediately jump at the chance to play the infamous Thanos in the Marvel movies. The reason for this is that he didn’t want to do “practically nothing” using just a green screen.

However, after he saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s motion capture performance for The Hobbit, he changed his mind.

Unlike most of the other alien characters, Thanos was a completely computer generated character. Brolin had to act in front of 32 cameras while his face was covered in iridescent paint. “It was very, very different,” Brolin stated.

“But I like it. It’s fun.”