Danny Glover has never measured his career by box office numbers or critical consensus. As the actor turns 80, one of his most revealing reflections points back to Predator 2, the 1990 sci-fi sequel that divided audiences but gave him something Hollywood had rarely offered before: the chance for a Black actor to stand at the center of a blockbuster, face an extraterrestrial threat, and emerge as its hero.
Years later, he said that choice never embarrassed him—in fact, it became one of the easiest decisions of his career to defend. That perspective has quietly reshaped the legacy of Predator 2. While the film was often overshadowed by its iconic predecessor, his portrayal of Lt. Mike Harrigan challenged the familiar action-hero formula, replacing invincibility with resilience and determination.
What Did Danny Glover Say About Predator 2 Years Later?
Danny Glover said he never regretted making Predator 2 because, in his view, the film allowed him to do something that had rarely been seen in Hollywood at the time: portray an African American hero who confronts an alien menace, survives, and ultimately defeats it.
Looking back on his career, the actor explained that he had always tried to choose projects he could defend without embarrassment, and Predator 2 remained one of those decisions. As he put it, if anyone questioned why he accepted the role, his answer was simple:
I’ve always been able to make choices that don’t embarrass me. If somebody asked me, “Why are you gonna do Predator 2?” I can justify it by saying that I’ve never seen a movie with an African American who fights an alien and comes out alive and becomes the hero. So I guess there’s always ways of justifying it.
The quote first appeared in a 2001 interview with YES! Magazine, where Glover reflected on balancing his acting career with his lifelong activism. During that conversation, he acknowledged that some of his films had sparked debate because of his political beliefs, but he stressed that very few projects had ever made him feel he was compromising his values.
Predator 2, despite being a major studio action film, was not one of them. Instead, he viewed it as an opportunity to broaden representation within a genre that had traditionally offered few leading roles to Black actors.
Released in 1990, Predator 2 faced the difficult task of following Arnold Schwarzenegger’s hugely successful original film. Rather than returning to the Central American jungle, the sequel moved the action to a crime-ridden, near-future Los Angeles and placed Glover’s Lt. Mike Harrigan at the center of the story.
He has also spoken proudly about the physical and emotional commitment the role demanded. To prepare for the film, he trained intensively for weeks before production, running daily and lifting weights to convincingly perform the demanding action sequences.
Filming ultimately took a toll on his body, leading him to undergo arthroscopic surgery on both knees after production wrapped. Even so, he described the experience as rewarding, emphasizing that much of the rooftop running, climbing and fighting was performed by him rather than a stunt double.