Robert Bobroczkyi, a 7-foot, 7-inch Romanian basketball player and business administration graduate from Rochester Christian University, made his film debut in the sci-fi movie “Aliens: Romulus,” which debuted in August 2024. 

Bobroczkyi, who is still at RCU working on another major in information systems and cybersecurity, said he had never considered a film career, but an executive producer of the movie reached out to him. Bobroczkyi spoke with the producer over a video call and quickly realized the offered role in the film was legitimate. 

He said he felt it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “I spent about eight months preparing for this role. Robert Arbaugh, chair and artistic director of theatre at RCU, worked with me for the first six months, teaching me about acting as a whole but also getting used to the idea of acting through movement. I then spent the following 10 weeks working with a gentleman who specializes in physical movement performances,” Bobroczkyi said.

Arbaugh said when he was first asked to work with Bobroczkyi, he thought it might be a joke, but quickly learned it was not. “I am so grateful because it was an absolute dream to work with Rob, Fede and the whole Romulus team. It was so wonderful to get to know Rob as a person and as an artist. The way he jumped into the project head first, full of humility with a thirst to learn was inspiring! I cannot be more proud of the work that he produced in such a short time!” Arbaugh said.

Bobroczkyi’s character is intended to be an anxiety-inducing creature who makes the audience feel uneasy. When filming started, he spent nearly half a day putting on makeup.

“We would all get there early in the morning and the artists would work their magic for five- to six-hours. There was a team of around 10 people who worked on transforming me into the character. Usually, everything would be finished by noon and I would spend the rest of the day on set. After we were done with filming, it would take another two hours or so to take off all the makeup and prosthetics.”

Few people get to perform in a mainstream feature film for their first role like Bobroczkyi has. He said he has always been a sci-fi fan, so seeing the creatures and set details from the “Alien” franchise was quite the experience. He says some of the xenomorphs were even towering over him.

“Seeing yourself on the big screen is obviously a really unique experience,” he said. “I am hoping that audiences will like the movie and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity.”

Don’t miss the chance to see Bobroczkyi, in action. You can watch ”Aliens: Romulus” on streaming services. Watch the trailer here: Alien: Romulus | Final Trailer