“Dan, our director came in. Then Marty Ewing, our producer, and Jeff Cutter, our director of photography. They came into the studio, and I put this Predator suit on. Alec told me he wanted me to deliver a balletic svelteness to this character. They were making a bit of a departure from the traditional Predator. Balletic svelteness, Hmm. Okay. I’m thinking a panther, something feline, smoother, that’s very in tune with the forest. Feral was another word thrown around, primal, something very instinctual and very in tune with nature. He could run through trees naturally because he’s done it a million times, and he’s one with the woods and the forest. I tried to incorporate all those feelings and emotions; fast forward to me running around studio ADI, turning corners, jumping up on tables, doing little shifty things, and running through the parking lot.”
That svelteness factored into more than just movement for the actor.
“I had to lose 25 pounds to play this character. They wanted a lean, dynamic, more animal Predator. You know you look at a feral cat; feral cats are not very plump. Traditionally I’m bigger, more muscular. I had to get away from that.“
In addition to slimming down, DiLiegro dedicated himself to training for the physically demanding part.
“I trained for two months parkour. I’m 6′ 9″; not many 6′ 9” guys do parkour. I had to learn the basics of that. I trained in martial arts for two months. I trained my neck. I teamed up with a company called Iron Neck and strengthened my neck for two months because the Predator’s head sits on top of my head, and it’s a lot of weight on the neck. It was about 13 pounds or something. On top of all the acting, I did all the stunts and the motion capture.”
