It measures 2m31! Which actor plays the most amazing creature in Alien Romulus?

Warning, the following article contains spoilers for the ending of Alien Romulus.

If you’ve seen Alien Romulus, be sure to note his 4th act and the arrival of an absolutely monstrous and terrifying creature! Called “The Offspring,” this other world is a kind of human-alien hybrid whose design recalls the resurrection of Prometheus’ engineers and “newborn” aliens.

The progeny, graceful and equipped with very long, shapeless arms, sends shivers down the spine and evokes a sense of indescribable horror in the heart of the viewer. Alien Romulus director Fede Alvarez insisted that the creature be played by a real actor. The director found 2 Romanian basketball players of size 31 m to put in this devilish radiation suit!

Parquet giant

his name Robert Bobrotsky, 24 years old. Known for his extreme thinness, very long arms and atypical face, the floor giant was considered one of the greatest hopes of world basketball. Played with AS Stella Azzurra in Italy before being recruited by Spearhead University in Ohio, USA.

His huge size allows him to easily prevent opponents from scoring baskets. With his passing game and shooting accuracy, Robert Bobrotsky could have had a brilliant career like France’s Victor Vembanyama, who reaches 2m24.

Unfortunately, the Romanian physically did not survive the shock, his large size and extreme thinness prevent him from having great mobility on the field; His stamina also proved insufficient for a very high level due to his low muscle mass. Thus, Robert Bobrotsky was never able to establish himself on the American university circuit.

A unique creature

Fascinated by this atypical physique, the director Fede Alvarez chose him to become his “offspring”, a monster more terrifying than the Xenomorph. “We try to imagine him in our heads, but we don’t know how the director is going to create this character.”explains Daniel Macarini, head of visual effects, at the microphone Diversity.

“Will it look like a Xenomorph? Will it be something really unique? Will it be something we’ve never seen before?”asked the technician.

A hybrid of human, engineer and xenomorph, the offspring had to be tangible and not rely solely on digital effects; Director Fede Alvarez absolutely insisted on focusing on practical effects during filming before animating certain parts in computer post-production.

I saw the actor in his costume for the first time. It was terrifying.

“It was the first time I saw an actor in his costume. It was terrifying. They did such an amazing job with the look and feel of this character that we knew whatever we could bring to him would work. Help him.”Daniel Maccarin emphasizes.

“Since Robert Bobrotzky is not a professional actor, his movement is simply unique, which influenced the animation of the character by the visual effects team. Given his large size and the concept of the creature, Robert gives us a lot of new things to see. Visually, I found it outstanding.”Ludovic Chailloleau, head of animation, points out.

Mix the practical with the digital

Additionally, when Kay (Isabella Merced) gives birth, the child is achieved with practical effect. “They put it in an egg, painted it and dressed it up”Macarini explains. Except the baby wasn’t moving, and Fede Alvarez wanted viewers to know that despite Kay’s bloody delivery, the baby was alive.Adds a visual effects artist.

The first challenge for Daniel Macarini and his teams was to find the right facial expressions for the baby’s offspring. He didn’t have to be cute or too angry. “You don’t want the audience to feel sympathy for the kid, you want them to be a little bit scared.”He confides.

We don’t spend a lot of screen time with this character, so we have to make sure that the audience never has a bad reaction.

“We don’t have a lot of screen time with this character, so we have to make sure that the audience never has a bad reaction. If people laugh or if they find something funny, then they’re out of the movie and we probably don’t shoot. We don’t have enough time to get them back into action. “Analyzes the visual effects supervisor.

A clever mix between practical effects and digital effects, Offspring is the result of a close collaboration between the director and his film wizards to bring to life this monster that is both terrifying and fascinating. Robert Bobroczki, with his movements and physicality, was the cornerstone that inspired the special effects technicians to succeed in his perfect animation.