Tony Hawk responded to people mistaking him for It Follows 'Giant Man' who died after starring in movie

Tony Hawk. Retired professional skateboarder. Birdman. Entrepreneur. Video game inspiration. Philanthropist. Skateboard company owner.

But not the star of a horror film.

Viewers apparently often confuse Hawk for the ‘Giant Man’ from the 2014 movie It Follows.

The supernatural horror, which we recently learned was getting a sequel, rated a mega 95 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer is particularly dark.

The synopsis reads: “For 19-year-old Jay (Maika Monroe), the fall should be about school, boys and weekends out at the lake.

“But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, or something, is following her.

“Faced with this burden, Jay and her teenage friends must find a way to escape the horrors that seem to be only a few steps behind.”

Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for Hilarity for Charity

Directed and written by David Robert Mitchell it features Maika Monroe and Jake Weary.

But Hawk - who stands at a tall but decidedly not giant six foot three inches - has previously had to come out and confirm the ‘Giant Man’ is in fact, not him.

The dad-of-four wrote on X: “For the record, this guy is Mike Lanier, ‘Michigan’s Tallest Man’ and UCLA basketball player.

"He passed away in 2018 from cancer complicated by acromegaly.

“You can honor his legacy by donating to http://acromegaly.org.

"In his case, I am flattered at the mistaken identity. Rest in peace, Mike!”

Lanier was known for being Michigan’s tallest man as well as one half of the Guinness Book of World Records’ tallest identical twins.

Playing the part of the ‘Giant Man’, Lanier was a whopping seven foot seven inches tall.

He was well known for playing college basketball for UCLA back in the '90s.

'The Giant Man'. Credit :A24

Aged 48, Lanier passed away in June 2018 due to complications from pancreatic cancer and acromegaly.

A rare condition, this is where the body produces too much growth hormone and causes body tissues and bones to grow more quickly.

In 2015, Lanier compared his life to the movie Groundhog Day, telling GQ: “Every day, I walk outside my door, and the first person I see says, ‘Whoa! How tall are you?’ I tell them, ‘7-foot-7’.

“I turn around, take five more steps, and the next person says, ‘Dude! You're tall! How tall are you?’ Over and over and over and over. It never stops."

Users responded to Hawk’s tweet with shock as they wrote: “Oh so I wasn’t the only one who thought it was Tony Hawk, good to know.”

Others also thanked Hawk for the tweet, praising him and writing: “It’s very cool that you’re bringing awareness.”

Topics: Celebrity, TV and Film

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_