Check out footage of Jean-Claude Van Damme in the original Predator costume

I have heard stories for as long as I can remember that Jean-Claude was the original actor inside of the alien suit in John McTiernan‘s classic PREDATOR. The prospect that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Van Damme shared screen time has always been a cool idea, but in the end, it was not meant to be. But, what ever happened to the original Predator suit?

This clip posted to YouTube by StanWinstonSchool.com is an interview with FX guru Steve Johnson (GHOSTBUSTERS, SPECIES, BLADE 2) as he explains how the original, impractical Predator design was scrapped and replaced by the iconic one we all recognize today.

I won’t rob you of learning directly from the interview below, but it is pretty damn intriguing to think of just how different PREDATOR would have been if they went with the original design. Gone were the mandibles and dreadlocks that gave us the immortal line “you are one ugly motherf*cker” and instead was a cool if not entirely memorable design for the hunter. It is also pretty funny to hear just how much Jean-Claude Van Damme hated the red foam suit used for the cloaking scenes in the film. He looks like a giant cartoon lobster and I cannot help but chuckle every time it is on screen.