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“ Apparently, the first Predator costume was not only ugly according to Jean-Claude Van Damme, it was also dangerous.
We’ve known it for a long time, but a quick recap for those who don’t know the story: Predator, turbo-cult action film by John McTiernan with Arnold Schwarzenegger was also originally to include Jean-Claude Van Damme to the casting . Well almost. The actor (currently the poster for We Die Young) has in fact not yet exploded thanks to Bloodsport, and he was originally hired to don the monster’s costume, so more of a stunt job in short.
But the collaboration goes badly: Jean-Claude Van Damme finds the costume horribly ugly, thinks only of the upcoming filming of Bloodsport, and clashes with producer Joel Silver.
The first design of the Predator
Maybe there’s some truth in all that, but according to Jean-Claude Van Damme ‘s latest interview for the Hollywood Reporter , the main reason which made him leave the set was quite different, and perhaps even more important: the costume was dangerous, from its creation to its application, and made the stunts impossible.
” I got to the studio, they made me run and jump, they said ‘this guy can jump really high, we’ll take him’. Then I find myself in a room, and they pour the molten casting on me, and it’s hot as hell. And you know, I like to breathe. But they have to make my head on top of everything else. I tell the guy next to me ‘dude, I’m not going to last’, but for them I’m just a stand-in, you know? So they put a tube in my mouth, and they tell me ‘if you feel like you can’t breathe, make a sign with your fingers and I’ll get you out of there.’ I started to panic, so I make the sign and I’m told ‘no, five more minutes!’ and finally it is taken away from me.
Well go ahead, do a high-kick now
The costume was horrible. My feet were in the molds, themselves raised on stilts. When Joel asked me to jump, I knew it was going to be dangerous. I replied ‘that’s impossible Joel, I think we have a problem’. So he replaced me, the new stuntman got injured and they made the new costume, more secure. I’m glad I listened to my intuition. “
And we are happy to have had the new costume, which has since become a classic. The old one really didn’t have the face of a lucky charm as the other one would say.”