Cree artist's Alien costume has late night talk show producer calling

A Cree artist's how-to video for a realistic recreation of a movie alien has garnered tens of thousands of hits online and even caught the attention of a U.S. late night talk show.

Gabriel Constant, 45, is a self-taught special effects artist from the Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba.

Two years ago, he posted step-by-step instructions for using household materials to build a costume of a xenomorph — the deadly creature in the Alien movie franchise — and posted it on his YouTube channel, where it has been viewed more than 65,000 times.

That video also had a producer from The Late Late Show with James Corden emailing and then calling him last week, seeking a prop for an upcoming segment to promote the release of Alien: Covenant.

"I was really overwhelmed," Constant said Friday. "I didn't know what to say, I was in shock."

The producer ultimately went with another costume for the segment, but it was still a treat for Constant.

"Just getting a phone call and emails from them is a very big compliment."

A talent born of necessity 

The love of handmade costumes, replicas and special effects came early to Constant — out of necessity.

"We were poor," he laughs. "So I started making my own toys and stuff I would see on TV."

As a child, Constant built model airplanes and ships out of Styrofoam meat packages, but it wasn't until he was in his 20s that he started making costumes, like the alien in the Predator movie series, and full replicas of outfits worn by the rock band Kiss, which won many Halloween contests in his home community.

Now an independent video and film producer, Constant has produced work for the National Screen Institute and even a project with Buffy St. Marie, but he said the interest from the Late Late Show producer has reignited his creativity.

"I'm going to start working on my next costume … and now I'm starting to look at going to comic-cons."