Prey star Dane DiLiegro recently shared his thoughts on becoming the iconic alien hunter in the upcoming Predator prequel. Set in 1719, the action-adventure horror-thriller will follow Naru (Amber Midthunder), a young Comanche warrior who takes it upon herself to protect her people when threatened by the bloodthirsty alien creature. Armed with only a bow and arrow and her wits, Naru must track and kill the Predator before it kills her and wipes out her tribe.
Along with Midthunder, the film will star DiLiegro, a 6'9" former professional basketball player, as the famed Predator. After 12 years of playing basketball in Italy and Israel, the athlete transitioned to acting in 2019, and, due to his height, has since portrayed a variety of creatures in film and television including a zombie in The Walking Dead, the Muscle Monster in the Korean horror series Sweet Home, and the frightening red demon Ba'al from American Horror Stories. Now, DiLiegro takes on the role of one of the most iconic Hollywood movie monsters of the past several decades.
In a recent interview with EW, DiLiegro shared his thoughts on becoming the latest version of the Predator in the upcoming franchise prequel Prey. The actor described the weight of taking the role as "immense," both figuratively and literally, as DiLiegro detailed the weight of the Predator costume and the difficulties he had when he wore the suit during scenes. The actor also admitted that he was grateful to have the opportunity to play such a recognizable character, one that is known all over the world. Read what DiLiegro had to say below.
"The weight of this character was immense. More immense than anything I've ever had to deal with before. Literally. I think I weighed over 300 pounds with everything on. That head alone was about 15 pounds. Obviously, he's a little bit different. The head is on top of my head. For the Predator to look forward, I had to look down to the ground through these two tiny holes in the neck. Essentially shooting this movie blind."
"The Predator's known worldwide. To get the opportunity to be that thing is astounding. And I still can't believe it."
DiLiegro described the task of becoming a monster, one that requires a unique alien costume and a variety of prosthetics, as an incredibly challenging task. The actor explained that in order to properly face another actor during a scene, he must stare at the grown to appear to look forward, an action that any performer would find difficult as eye-lines are relatively essential for nailing evocative performances. Couple that with the added weight of the actual Predator suit, and the effort it takes to create a convincing performance only becomes more intense.
With Prey, DiLiegro joins a pantheon of great actors who took on the role of the terrifying ruthless alien hunter. Jean-Claude Van Damme was originally cast as the monster in the original 1987 film before creative changes in the direction of the creature's portrayal placed Kevin Peter Hall in the role. He played the monster for both Predator and Predator 2 before his tragic death in 1991. Now, with Prey set to release on August 5, DiLiegro has a chance to make a name for himself as one of the most fearsome iterations of the legendary Predator alien.
Source: EW
Key Release Dates
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Predator 5
Release Date:2022-08-05 -
Prey
Release Date:2022-08-05
