With Predator: Badlands, director Dan Trachtenberg goes 3 for 3 in revitalizing and refreshing the iconic Predator franchise. In our review, Senior Writer Elijah Isaiah Johnson called it a “near perfect action film.” One of the major reasons why Badlands is so good is because of Dimistrius Schuster-Koloamatangi who takes on the immensely physical and emotional task of portraying the film’s protagonist, the Predator, Dek.
Eli had the opportunity to speak with Schuster-Koloamatangi on his new breakout role, where he is tasked with playing the iconic alien villain and making him into an empathetic protagonist. The most obvious hurdle in doing so is the fact that Schuster-Koloamatangi had to play the role while wearing extensive prosthetics. Thankfully, having to wear all that alien garb didn’t hurt his ability to emote.
“It didn’t affect the performance too much, only because I had a cut-out face. So I was full decked out in prosthetics, and by that point, with all of our emotional beats that we had to film, I had kind of prepped my body enough to not let any of the extra stuff distract me, I guess, or pull me out of the scene. So, I was used to sweating constantly and not being able to see properly through the contact lenses and whatnot,” Schuster-Koloamatangi said.
Schuster-Koloamatangi is of Polynesian descent from New Zealand. Being from a lineage of proud people who value honor, he shared how he connected with Dek.
“I think I was unconsciously using those experiences to play Dek, like because to me it’s kind of natural; that’s just my everyday life. Not saying every day I’m like a warrior going out and hunting and fighting, but that spirit is within me and it’s fully embedded into who I am,” Schuster-Koloamatangi said. “And yeah, being able to portray that through Dek as well, and use some of those experiences. Because Dek is literally the same, you know. He’s from a lineage of hunters. They used hunting as their way to liberate themselves from oppression. That’s the culture. They hunt to elevate themselves and to bring honor to their people, and that’s a big thing in my culture as well. Not hunting to bring honor, but honoring your family and honoring where you come from. It’s a massive aspect of who we are as people.”
Watch the full interview below (the video is distorted due to technical difficulties). Predator: Badlands is in theaters now!
About Predator: Badlands:
Set in the future on a deadly remote planet, “Badlands” follows a young Predator outcast (played by newcomer Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) who finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Elle Fanning) as he embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary. Produced by John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt and Brent O’Connor, “Predator: Badlands” opens exclusively in movie theaters on November 7 in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RealD (3D), Cinemark XD, 4DX, ScreenX and premium screens everywhere.
Ron is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of POC Culture. Â He is a big believer in the power and impact of pop culture and the importance of representation in media.
