{"id":206627,"date":"2025-06-23T02:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T02:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/206627\/"},"modified":"2025-06-23T02:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T02:51:10","slug":"28-years-later-alpha-zombie-actor-on-prosthetic-penis-and-train-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/206627\/","title":{"rendered":"28 Years Later Alpha Zombie Actor on Prosthetic Penis and Train Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tDanny Boyle<\/a>\u2018s terrifying zombies \u2014\u00a0sorry, the infected \u2014 are back, and with them, a truly enormous and terrifying specimen.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201c28 Years Later<\/a>\u201d has proved a critical triumph for the director and co-writer Alex Garland, almost a quarter-century after their genre-redefining original \u201c28 Days Later,\u201d hailed for reviving yet radically evolving the 2002 horror hit. Among the new additions to the franchise are the so-called Alphas, massive berserker variants of the infected for whom the rage virus has had, over the last nearly three decades, a steroid-like effect. The most fearsome and brutal of all those roaming the quarantined wasteland that was the U.K., the Alphas\u2019 signature move is to rip off human heads with the spine still attached and swing them around like a flail.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne such Alpha \u2014\u00a0given the name Samson in the film \u2014\u00a0is a colossal beast, described to Variety as the \u201cking of the infected\u201d by Chi Lewis-Parry<\/a>, the 6-foot-8-inch actor and former MMA fighter who plays him. <\/p>\n

\n\tA committed horror devotee (favorite director: John Carpenter), joining the cast of \u201c28 Years Later\u201d was an \u201cabsolute joy\u201d for the Brit, who only quit fighting to focus on his acting career a few short years ago. As it happens, the 41-year-old\u2019s first gig was with Boyle on the TV series \u201cPistol,\u201d but the pair got on so well he was keen to work with him again, eagerly signing up to audition for what at the time he only knew as \u201cUntitled Danny Boyle Project.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTerrify me,\u201d was the solitary request from the Oscar-winning filmmaker. And so, not even knowing who or what he was supposed to be playing, Lewis-Parry \u2014\u00a0who also starred alongside Paul Mescal in \u201cGladiator 2\u201d \u2014\u00a0dug deep to conjure up what he now describes as the \u201cSamson bellow.\u201d So impressed \u2014\u00a0and, probably, terrified \u2014 was Boyle that he didn\u2019t just cast him as his leading Alpha in \u201c28 Years Later,\u201d but got him to voice the film\u2019s other Alpha as well.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Samson has been drawing plenty of attention for his ferocious and hulking on-screen presence and monstrous roar, something else has caught the eye of critics and online commentators alike. With the infected all now naked (their clothes have effectively disintegrated since the first film), he\u2019s been generating headlines for sporting a rather impressive prosthetic manhood, which the camera doesn\u2019t shy away from. <\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking to Variety, Lewis-Parry describes a \u201cflesh wound\u201d (and subsequent scar) he incurred while shooting \u201c28 Years Later,\u201d having an epiphany while holding aloft a head and spine and why playing Samson is just one of two on-screen baddies he\u2019s had in his sights. <\/p>\n

\t\tWhat sort of conversations did you have about Samson, beyond him simply being huge and terrifying? He\u2019s a mutated Alpha infected, but he seems to have a much greater status among them than that.\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI suppose you could don him as the \u201cKing of the Infected,\u201d especially how I played him. There are things that didn\u2019t make the cut, but he\u2019s very much in charge of everything. You get to see that with the interactions that the other infected have when they\u2019re around him. They\u2019re like hyenas, and he\u2019s the lion. He will have his feed and you will have what is left! But the biggest standout thing was the physicality. I threw myself at every wall. That scene in the train gave me more bruises than my fighting career. But also, I was in quite lean shape when I was cast for it and Danny made clear that he wanted the muscle to be incidental and not look like he worked out. So I was bigger than I am now.<\/p>\n

\t\tYou\u2019re an athletic guy, so how was it not working out and putting on weight?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNot working out is a nightmare for me. Training is kind of like my prayer. <\/p>\n

\t\tDid you have any discussions with Danny or Alex about what Samson might have been before he was infected or did you come up with your own backstory?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tWe never really sort of dug into that. But I created a backstory. I\u2019ve actually got a little notebook. In my head, what I did to help visualize his intentions and for him to be an Alpha, is have him saving others. He sacrificed himself to protect others and thus he became an infected. It made him less of a monster for me. <\/p>\n

\t\tMonster or not, Samson does enjoy ripping the heads off people and swinging them around by their spinal cords. It\u2019s something you do in spectacular and gruesome fashion. Can you talk about that scene?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve actually got a cool story about that scene. It was filmed in an actual reservoir in a tunnel and it was incredibly dark. And I managed to incur a little flesh wound. It was nothing for Samson, but made me cry! It was my own fault. I was running very fast and got to a point a little too early and got caught by one of the rifles on my leg. So I\u2019ve got a nice bit of memorabilia, a little scar on my leg, which I\u2019m very proud of. Because I can\u2019t go less than 100% \u2014\u00a0if it\u2019s my body on the line, I don\u2019t really hold back.<\/p>\n

\t\tHow easy was it to do the head-ripping off move and what were you actually holding?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThat was one of the incredible bodies created by [special makeup effects supervisor] John Nolan\u2019s team. The realism is insane. But I had to hold it up with my left arm. It was heavy, so I wedged my elbow into my hip to support the weight. It looked like he was standing, and then I removed the head with my right arm. It\u2019s tough to do, but it had to be heavy \u2014\u00a0if it was light, it wouldn\u2019t look light. But being physically strong allows you to do certain things, so it\u2019s always good to do that work.<\/p>\n

\t\tOne thing about the infected in \u201c28 Years Later\u201d is that you\u2019re all mostly naked. So there\u2019s a lot of full frontal nudity when you\u2019re all running around. I understand that what you see is actually prosthetics, and it\u2019s because your lead star, Alfie Williams, was only 13 when you shot it. Is that right?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, they were prosthetics. There\u2019s a law that states, I think, because he\u2019s a child, you\u2019re allowed to have nudity but it has to be fake nudity. It was to protect him. And, as well, I\u2019m really friendly and am always hugging people. I wouldn\u2019t have been doing that if I was fully in the nip!<\/p>\n

\t\tThere\u2019s been quite a bit of talk about your own prosthetic. Not even sure if I should be asking this but \u2026. was it in proportion? \t<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, I\u2019m 6\u2032 8\u2033. I\u2019ll say no more!<\/p>\n

\t\tThere\u2019s a great photo of you at the premiere of you with your arm around Ralph Fiennes. Did you have a special bond on set?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tMe and Ralph have become best buds. We go to the gym and work out together a lot. It\u2019s a special connection I have with Ralph, because I grew up watching the guy and in my very early days, around 2009 or 2010, I was actually a stand-in for Hagrid on \u201cHarry Potter.\u201d And Ralph was there in character and I remember standing next to him and just admiring and watching how he worked. And I shared this story with him while working on this and it brought us close. He\u2019s a very special man and I love him dearly. And I truly mean that he\u2019s done so much for me just by being present in any moment. He asks how you are, he supports you if you need something.<\/p>\n

\t\tHow\u2019s his training? I\u2019m assuming he\u2019s not on the same weights as you?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m not joking with you, but I can\u2019t keep up with him. I\u2019m heavy. I can lift heavy, but I\u2019ve got an abused body. I did professional sports my whole life. There are things that I just can\u2019t do without experiencing excruciating pain, so I just stay away. So there\u2019s things where I can\u2019t keep up with him. He\u2019s in tremendous shape and he never complains and he\u2019ll always push to his limit. We trained a couple of weeks ago and I said, \u201cDude, you\u2019re inspiring. Because you\u2019re much older than me and you\u2019re not just keeping up, you\u2019re setting the pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLONDON, ENGLAND \u2013 JUNE 18: (L-R) Ralph Fiennes and Chi Lewis-Parry attend the \u201c28 Years Later\u201d World Premiere at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on June 18, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer\/Getty Images)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJeff Spicer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\t\tAnd you were also recently in \u201cGladiator 2\u201d as Phoebus, one of the gladiators?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYes! I met my end via a rhino horn! <\/p>\n

\t\tSo you were in the coliseum fighting alongside Paul Mescal?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, I\u2019m the cocky gladiator who thinks he can do it all in his own. And it ends badly. <\/p>\n

\t\tDid you have any lines?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI had a confrontational scene with Paul that sets up his demise, but that got cut. So he became just the cocky guy who\u2019s got lots of energy. But everyone got what they wanted. The guy got killed by the rhino, and then Paul has an epic fight and wins.<\/p>\n

\t\tBetween Phoebus and Samson, who was your favorite character to play?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tNot to take anything away from Phoebus, because he\u2019ll always have a special place in my heart. But it\u2019s definitely Samson. If I look at the brow of a hill, I\u2019ll see him. I feel like he\u2019s real, like he\u2019s out there somewhere now. And I love the idea that somebody can create something that feels so real. Maybe other people might be out camping or something and see people on a hill and it looks like that scene and have little bit of fear. I like that. That\u2019s what\u2019s special about this film.<\/p>\n

\t\tYou were an MMA fighter before. How long were you doing that and how did you move into acting?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI fought for about 12 years and had a good career. But since 1986 I knew that I wanted to be in film, because that was when I saw the poster for John Carpenter\u2019s \u201cBig Trouble in Little China\u201d. I was in the video shop and remember seeing the poster and just knew I wanted to be involved in films. But it was just, how do you do it? I didn\u2019t go to acting classes. But I was always a good sportsman and fighting allows you to express yourself in a persona, because you\u2019ve got to find ways to sell tickets. I got to express myself with the volume slightly turned up and that allowed me to connect with an audience and build a fan base, which set me up for doing this. So it was always gonna be a transitional period. I said, I\u2019m gonna do this full time now. So I had to quit fighting. My last fight was just coming out of lockdown, and I did \u201cPistol\u201d shortly after that. It didn\u2019t just walk into the job \u2014\u00a0I did a lot of auditions. But I remember doing the \u201cPistol\u201d audition and getting a call 15 minutes later saying, \u201cHey, could you do it in a different accent?\u201d And boom, got a job.<\/p>\n

\t\tWho were you playing?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was based on a guy called Glenn Allison, who was the personal security of the Sex Pistols when they went on their U.S. tour. There was this famous story about him having a fight with Sid Vicious, played by the wonderful Louis Partridge. He\u2019s such a trooper because I really am throwing him around. But he took it all and did it with a smile on his face.<\/p>\n

\t\tWhat else have you got coming up?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI just worked on \u201cThe Running Man\u201d with Edgar Wright. I\u2019m one of the runners and he\u2019s a very specific runner. I don\u2019t know how much more I\u2019m allowed to say. But it\u2019s a really fun role.<\/p>\n

\t\tI noticed on Instagram you posted a picture of yourself alongside famed Bond baddie Jaws. Have you been lobbying to be in the next Bond?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tListen, if there is an ultimate role, it\u2019s to be a Bond villain. This journey to work in film actually started properly in 2005, not long before Martin Campbell\u2019s \u201cCasino Royale\u201d came out and it sort of ignited that fire in me to be that character. Back then, I remember thinking, \u201cWhat are the two roles I\u2019d like to play?\u201d I was quite narrow-minded, but because I\u2019m big and thought my way in could be as a creature actor, I was like, \u201cOh, I want to play the Predator. And I wanted to be a Bond villain.\u201d And I actually had a big realization moment in that tunnel when I was holding the head and spine. Because I realized: I was the Predator, but my own version. And that was a real turning point for me, because I realized: You made this happen in 2005 because you thought about it and started the process. And I\u2019ve done more than think about being a Bond villain.<\/p>\n

\t\tHave you had any conversations?\t<\/p>\n

\n\tI haven\u2019t had any official discussions, but I\u2019ve definitely put it out there. <\/p>\n

\t\tI love the idea of you having an epiphany while holding a severed head and spine. \t<\/p>\n

\n\tImagine that, right? It\u2019s crazy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Danny Boyle\u2018s terrifying zombies \u2014\u00a0sorry, the infected \u2014 are back, and with them, a truly enormous and terrifying…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":206628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[16475,83032,48891,77,3943,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-206627","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-28-years-later","9":"tag-chi-lewis-parry","10":"tag-danny-boyle","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-movies","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114730414431698514","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}