Wyatt Weed
New Member
Hey everyone
My apologies in advance - I'm in the middle of about 6 things right now, so I don't know how often I will be able to get on here and make comments, but I will try my best.
First of all, I WAS a predator in P2 and I AM signing my own photos. They are usually sold through Alleydweller, who happens to be my girlfriend. She already runs an Ebay store, so she had time and said she would take care of it for me. As I get my own site together, maybe I'll transfer the sales over, but for now she is the authorized site/seller for my pics.
I was a young guy trying to make it as an actor in early 1990 and I knew a stunt man named Brian Simpson. Brian had worked on the first Predator (more stories from him later) and he and I were the same size. When Brian was called on to do a second unit stunt shot, they needed someone else to fill his suit for that end scene. See, whenever the Predator wasn't in a shot with a human, it could often be Brian because he didn't need to appear huge. It was Brian who was jumping tree top to tree top in the red effects suit in the first film, for example.
Anyway, Brian suggested me right away because I had make-up and creature suit experience. I got the call, and literally the following day was on set at Fox and up to my neck in a predator suit. It was awesome, a fan boy's dream, but man was it hot and after 12-plus hours, I couldn't wait to get that suit off. I still have the pay stub. More details to follow.
I met Stan Winston briefly, and he was nice, but he was busy and moved on. Kevin Peter Hall was a great guy. I hate to use the word sweet, but he really was. He was a joker, and always seemed like he was smiling. More on him later as well.
I DID NOT do the dance. I remember it, but I feel like the other predators were cast earlier and had already been on set once, and they had already worked the dance out. I just sat back and went, "Huh?"
I am 6' 1", and in the suit with the feet and helmet, was probably 6' 5". I was still the smallest predator there. I was also one of only two white guys, I think. It seemed like every other guy was African-American, and TALL. I felt like a runt Predator. Think Los Angeles Lakers meets Billy Crystal.
Earlier this year, a group called the Drunken Zombies saw me promoting my film at a show, Famous Monsters Con in Indianapolis, I believe, and suggested I should start selling my Predator 2 pics. It sounded like a great idea, so I got on it and by Fright Night in Louisville, we were doing it. I also met Jeff Wickedbeard at Famous Monsters, and he was key in letting me know about the Lair and all of the other P1 and P2 fans out there. I was also featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I started selling those pics as well.
Now here I am, 20 years later, a struggling writer/director who is on the verge of releasing his first feature, a vampire film called Shadowland. I will check back in soon and tell some more tales. I'm good friends with Steve Wang, who was a make-up god on the first film, and he's got great stories. I can tell you some funny stuff about Jean Claude Van Damme, the original Predator. How insert scenes of the predator fixing his wounds were done thousands of miles away from the jungle, in the San Fernando Valley. Frogs in Arnold's suitcase.
By the way, I once actually tried to pitch a Predator sequel to Joel Silver. Joel shut me down in about 2 seconds and said, "I'm out of that now - these guys want to do Predator Vs. Aliens now, and I'm not involved in that." And there went my story. Maybe I'll put it on here for your reading pleasure...
Talk to you guys soon. Gene, your photo went into the mail today. Your helmets look good.
Later, you ugly mother fu**ers...
Wyatt Weed
My apologies in advance - I'm in the middle of about 6 things right now, so I don't know how often I will be able to get on here and make comments, but I will try my best.
First of all, I WAS a predator in P2 and I AM signing my own photos. They are usually sold through Alleydweller, who happens to be my girlfriend. She already runs an Ebay store, so she had time and said she would take care of it for me. As I get my own site together, maybe I'll transfer the sales over, but for now she is the authorized site/seller for my pics.
I was a young guy trying to make it as an actor in early 1990 and I knew a stunt man named Brian Simpson. Brian had worked on the first Predator (more stories from him later) and he and I were the same size. When Brian was called on to do a second unit stunt shot, they needed someone else to fill his suit for that end scene. See, whenever the Predator wasn't in a shot with a human, it could often be Brian because he didn't need to appear huge. It was Brian who was jumping tree top to tree top in the red effects suit in the first film, for example.
Anyway, Brian suggested me right away because I had make-up and creature suit experience. I got the call, and literally the following day was on set at Fox and up to my neck in a predator suit. It was awesome, a fan boy's dream, but man was it hot and after 12-plus hours, I couldn't wait to get that suit off. I still have the pay stub. More details to follow.
I met Stan Winston briefly, and he was nice, but he was busy and moved on. Kevin Peter Hall was a great guy. I hate to use the word sweet, but he really was. He was a joker, and always seemed like he was smiling. More on him later as well.
I DID NOT do the dance. I remember it, but I feel like the other predators were cast earlier and had already been on set once, and they had already worked the dance out. I just sat back and went, "Huh?"
I am 6' 1", and in the suit with the feet and helmet, was probably 6' 5". I was still the smallest predator there. I was also one of only two white guys, I think. It seemed like every other guy was African-American, and TALL. I felt like a runt Predator. Think Los Angeles Lakers meets Billy Crystal.
Earlier this year, a group called the Drunken Zombies saw me promoting my film at a show, Famous Monsters Con in Indianapolis, I believe, and suggested I should start selling my Predator 2 pics. It sounded like a great idea, so I got on it and by Fright Night in Louisville, we were doing it. I also met Jeff Wickedbeard at Famous Monsters, and he was key in letting me know about the Lair and all of the other P1 and P2 fans out there. I was also featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I started selling those pics as well.
Now here I am, 20 years later, a struggling writer/director who is on the verge of releasing his first feature, a vampire film called Shadowland. I will check back in soon and tell some more tales. I'm good friends with Steve Wang, who was a make-up god on the first film, and he's got great stories. I can tell you some funny stuff about Jean Claude Van Damme, the original Predator. How insert scenes of the predator fixing his wounds were done thousands of miles away from the jungle, in the San Fernando Valley. Frogs in Arnold's suitcase.
By the way, I once actually tried to pitch a Predator sequel to Joel Silver. Joel shut me down in about 2 seconds and said, "I'm out of that now - these guys want to do Predator Vs. Aliens now, and I'm not involved in that." And there went my story. Maybe I'll put it on here for your reading pleasure...
Talk to you guys soon. Gene, your photo went into the mail today. Your helmets look good.
Later, you ugly mother fu**ers...
Wyatt Weed
