Jean-Claude Van Damme was let go from Predator after a short and chaotic stint as the man inside the original creature suit, with multiple overlapping reasons cited over the years.

Quick Scoop

Several behind‑the‑scenes stories explain why Van Damme was fired from Predator , and they’re not all identical, but they point in the same direction: he hated the suit, clashed with producers, and the production decided he wasn’t the right fit.

Main reasons usually given

  • He was originally hired to play the Predator itself , not a human commando.
  • The first Predator design was very different (more insect‑like, awkward to move in, and extremely hot), and Van Damme quickly became miserable in it.
  • Reports say he repeatedly passed out or became exhausted/dehydrated in the jungle heat while in the suit, which slowed production and annoyed producer Joel Silver.
  • Stunt and crew accounts claim he complained a lot about the conditions and argued about how the creature should move and fight, wanting to bring in his trademark kickboxing style.

The famous “kickboxing Predator” story

One widely repeated anecdote describes Van Damme constantly demonstrating high kicks around the set and insisting the Predator should fight like a martial‑arts alien.

According to this version, Joel Silver finally snapped, told him the Predator was not a kickboxer, and fired him after yet another argument about the character and his behavior on set.

The broken mask / temper story

Another crew recollection says Van Damme put on a very expensive early Predator head (described as ant‑like), panicked or freaked out, tore it off, and smashed it, allegedly destroying a prop worth tens of thousands of dollars.

In that telling, Silver yelled at him, told him he’d never work in Hollywood again, and kicked him off the production on the spot.

Van Damme’s own explanation

Much later, Van Damme gave his own version: he says he basically “quit” because the original stunt suit was dangerously hot and claustrophobic and he feared he’d get badly hurt doing wire jumps and stunts in it.

He recalls refusing to do a particular jump he thought was unsafe in the suit, after which he was replaced; this aligns with other accounts saying the production was already planning a full redesign of the creature and took the opportunity to move on.

So what’s the most likely truth?

Modern write‑ups that compare all these stories suggest it wasn’t just one dramatic moment but a combination of factors:

  • A poorly designed first Predator suit that was nearly unusable in jungle conditions.
  • Van Damme’s frustration, complaints, and clashes with producers over safety and how the monster should move and fight.
  • The decision to redesign the Predator entirely and cast a much taller performer (Kevin Peter Hall) who better matched the “towering hunter” concept.

In other words, Van Damme was fired from Predator because the early version of the creature didn’t work, his behavior and objections made him a headache for the producers, and the movie’s creative direction moved on to a different design and actor.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.