The online world is abuzz with chatter around 'Alien: Romulus', the ninth installment of the 'Alien' film franchise. While the audience response to the movie has been mixed, viewers have been taken by surprise with the sudden introduction of a brand new villain, called 'The Offspring' in the final act. (More Sports News)
This lean, lanky monster, a Xenomorph-human hybrid, has been played by Romanian former college basketball player Robert Bobroczkyi.
Who Is Robert Bobroczkyi?
The now 24-year-old Robert Bobroczkyi first grabbed eyeballs and headlines in 2016-17, owing to his towering 7-foot-7 frame. One of the tallest high school basketball players of all time, Bobroczkyi was initially hired by an Italian amateur-level basketball squad known as A.S. Stella Azzurra.
Two years later, he moved to Ohio. Bobroczkyi attended the college-preparatory school SPIRE Institute and Academy there, and debuted on the basketball court at the start of 2017. He was already a viral sensation by then, as highlights of him canning jumpers and rejecting shots had generated over three million YouTube views.
In terms of height, the Romanian followed in his father Zsigmond's footsteps. An international basketball player of his time, Zsigmond is over 7 feet tall, while the youngster's mother Brunhilde stands at 6-foot-1, and prominently played both volleyball and handball in her heyday.
Meanwhile, Bobroczkyi went from SPIRE to play at Rochester Christian University in Michigan, before finishing his college career in 2022.
And he is now making waves with his ghastly turn as The Offspring, his maiden acting foray.
"He (Bobroczkyi) did an amazing performance for someone that has never done that before. Being tall is one thing – next to Cailee [Spaeny] who is 5 feet tall, that's magic. But he really brought a talent that blew us all away. He goes toe-to-toe with Isabela in a face-to-face, and he's fantastic," director Fede Alvarez told USA Today.
The film's visual effects supervisor Daniel Macarin too was very impressed with the outcome of The Offspring, telling Variety: "The first time I saw the plates, and this 7-foot actor in there, in his costume. It was terrifying.
"They did such an amazing job with the look and the feel of that character that we knew that everything that we could bring to it was just going to help."
