Yep. Fans of the 1984 hit film Ghostbusters were reacquainted with not only the titular heroes, but also the franchise’s original nemesis, Gozer the Gozerian, in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Prior to the film’s release last month, reports stated that House actress Olivia Wilde would play Gozer in the new picture, and anyone who has watched the film will be hard-pressed not to recognize the actress in the film’s climax scenes, as the demon battles off against her old foes. However, when the credits roll, the role is described as being played by Emma Portner, with Shohreh Aghdashloo providing the voice, which seemed to contradict what was obvious to everyone.

Now, a new behind-the-scenes image has proven what everyone already knew: Olivia Wilde did play the personification of Gozer in the forthcoming Ghostbusters installment. So why is her part in the film credited to someone else? While Gozer has a physical appearance, as she did in the original Ghostbusters when she was played by model Slavitza Jovan, the Sumerian god’s CGI-created spirit form was depicted through motion capture by Canadian choreographer and dancer Emma Portner.

It’s unclear why Wilde would want to go uncredited after taking on one of the most iconic characters in Ghostbusters lore, especially after all of the effort that went into transforming her into Gozer with some of the same practical effects used in the original film, resulting in hours in the make-up chair beforehand. One of the make-up artists uploaded a photo of the actress in her full bodysuit and make-up, with the caption:

“Sumarian.. not Babylonian.. big difference”. “Gozer” make-up. What an honor it was with @oliviawilde being a absolute badass in 5.5 hrs of makeup. Thank you for your patience and amazing performance..”

J.K. Simmons, who starred in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Justice League, plays Ivo Shandor, the architect who has been debated since he was described as the builder of the “Spook Central” apartment tower where the initial battle against Gozer took place.
In addition, none other than Josh Gad provided the voice stylings of the film’s “Slimer” replacement Muncher.

While some critics have panned the number of references and fan-service moments in the long-awaited sequel to 1989’s Ghostbusters II, fans have demonstrated that it is precisely the type of indulgence the picture required as its foundation.
The film soon became one of the few 2021 films to break the $100 million mark domestically, which is a significant feat in the present uncertain cinematic scene.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife is still showing in theaters for those who haven’t seen the return of the original Ghostbusters on the big screen.