Ripley Needs to Stand Up for Herself

Sigourney Weaver delivered a career-spanning masterclass at the Venice Film Festival, and one highlight was her time leading the “Alien” franchise.

Ridley Scott directed the first “Alien” film in 1979, but it was James Cameron who took over for the sequel “Aliens” seven years later. This marked Weaver’s introduction to Cameron, who later directed her in the “Avatar” films. The two immediately hit it off but had one major disagreement: Weaver hadn’t realized how many guns were in the script.

“He was just so open to any thoughts that I might have, and I just felt his instincts were amazing,” Weaver said of Cameron. “The one thing, of course, I wasn’t thrilled about was all the guns. I read very quickly because I’m trying to experience the story and I had left out reading a lot of the stage directions, which had a lot of guns in them.”

One day on set, Cameron surprised Weaver by bringing many guns. “I said, ‘What are those for?’ and he said, ‘Well, what do you mean?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m for gun control and I’m really not going to be picking up a gun and doing anything with it,’” she recalled. “He said, ‘Well, you haven’t read the script.’ I said, ‘I have, but I haven’t read all those paragraphs about guns.’”

To change her mind, Cameron took her out into a field to shoot off a few hundred rounds with a machine gun. Weaver found the experience “unfortunately very addictive.” Cameron then explained, “I want you to see what happens to her,” referring to Ripley after she begins using guns.

“I think, of course, she needs to defend herself, but also I understood why he wanted to use guns,” she said. “It wasn’t my first choice.”

Weaver was honored on Wednesday night at the festival’s opening ceremony with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.

“I’m sure I’m dreaming,” she said while receiving the award. “Thank you for this jet fuel of encouragement.” She described the Golden Lion as “the most astonishing honor I can imagine,” humorously adding that the statue would accompany her on the plane, in the gondola, and perhaps in bed.

Earlier on Wednesday, during a press conference, a reporter suggested that Weaver’s performances might have paved the way for Kamala Harris to be the first woman U.S. president. This sentiment moved Weaver to tears.

“To think for one moment that my work would have anything to do with her rise makes me very happy, actually, because it’s true,” she said. “I have so many women who come and thank me.”

Other notable figures giving masterclasses at Venice include Peter Weir, who is also receiving a Golden Lion, and Ethan Hawke. The festival runs through September 7.

Source: Variety, Deadline