Warning: Spoilers ahead for “28 Years Later.”
“28 Years Later” has got horror fans talking about its controversial ending, the fact it was shot using iPhones — and the moment a hulking zombie charges naked at the young main character, Spike, and his mother.
The character, Samson, is an Alpha, meaning he was infected with a mutated version of the Rage Virus that made him super-strong.
Chi Lewis-Parry, the British actor who plays Samson, has since revealed that he wasn’t nude filming the scene because Alfie Williams, who plays Spike, was 13 at the time.
“Yeah, they were prosthetics. There’s a law that states, I think, because he’s a child, you’re allowed to have nudity but it has to be fake nudity. It was to protect him,” Lewis-Parry told Variety in an interview published on Sunday. “And, as well, I’m really friendly and am always hugging people. I wouldn’t have been doing that if I was fully in the nip!”
Chi Lewis-Parry, a former MMA fighter, was also in ‘Gladiator II’
Paramount Pictures
Before he became an actor, Lewis-Parry, who stands at 6-foot-8-inches, was an MMA fighter with nine wins under his belt between 2012 and 2020, according to ESPN.
However, the 41-year-old told Variety that he’s wanted to be an actor since seeing the poster for “Big Trouble in Little China” in 1986. He quit fighting shortly after the COVID lockdowns in 2021 to make acting his full-time career.
He started out in the 2022 “Pistol” TV series as the Sex Pistols’ bodyguard during their 1978 US tour. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, he had minor roles in TV shows including “Pennyworth” and “Slow Horses.”
His first major film role came in 2024 when he played Phoebus in “Gladiator II” alongside Paul Mescal. His character was killed by a rhino in the coliseum.
“I had a confrontational scene with Paul that sets up his demise, but that got cut. So he became just the cocky guy who’s got lots of energy,” he told Variety.
Teasing his next role, which is in “The Running Man” alongside Glen Powell, Lewis-Parry said: “I’m one of the runners and he’s a very specific runner. I don’t know how much more I’m allowed to say.”
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Lewis-Parry might return in ’28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’
Since Samson survives in “28 Years Later,” it’s likely that Lewis-Parry will return for the sequel, titled “The Bone Temple.”
He teased his involvement when speaking to Metro ahead of the film’s release.
“What can I tease? There’s a part two,” he said, before adding: “It’s different, it’s amazing.”
“28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” was shot back-to-back with the first film and will be released in theaters in 2026.
