The Nigerian student was spotted in a London bar by casting director Peter Archer in 1978. Although reports vary on his height – some maintain Badejo was 6'10", others say 7'2" – the then-26-year-old provided the very tall, very thin stature that had proved so hard to find in stunt actors previously tested in HR Giger's intricate and restrictive suit.

While those who have seen Alien will know how terrifying the Xenomorph can be, what's interesting is that Badejo's fellow cast mates were similarly fearful of him, despite his calm and quiet demeanor. This was partially due to practicality: the Xenomorph's tail prevented Badejo from sitting down on a normal chair, so until one of the crew rigged him up with a special swing he wasn't able to sit with the rest of the cast.

But Scott was also keen to keep Badejo separate from the rest of the cast, and their resulting lack of familiarity with the aspiring artist – and first-time actor – inspired genuine terror during filming, as Sigourney Weaver recalled in 2010:

"Bolaji was about seven feet tall and looked like he came from a different universe anyway, and they made up this Alien suit for him. Ridley was very careful not to have him standing around, drinking tea with us during breaks and because he was kept apart from us and we never chatted, when it came to seeing him as this creature during a scene, it was electrifying. It didn’t feel that we were acting scared at all."

The experience was frequently uncomfortable for Badejo, whose unwieldy costume caused him to miss his acting marks so often he inspired production ire, and he returned to Nigeria to pursue a career as a graphic designer and gallerist in 1980.