Attending a panel at the fifth annual Hero Complex Film Festival at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood, Academy Award nominated actress Sigourney Weaver discussed her historic and pivotal cinematic role as Ellen Ripley in the “Alien” franchise. She praised the character, whom she called “an existential hero” with a firm “moral compass,” when she indirectly referenced a popular discussion among fans.
“Had we done a fifth one, I don’t doubt that her humanity would have prevailed… I do feel like there is more story to tell.”
Weaver attended an in-depth Q&A panel over the weekend between screenings of Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic “Alien” and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel “Aliens.”
She discussed her role as Ripley in the various “Alien” movies, and provided some insight into what a possible fourth sequel in the franchise would be like. The audience sat spellbound. Weaver did get some laughs when she speculated that a new “Alien” sequel could not take place on Earth, with the Alien “popping out of a haystack” somewhere in the “French countryside.”
“I feel a longing from fans for the story to be finished,” she said, adding, “I could imagine a situation where we finish telling the story.”
Weaver related many behind the scenes stories while referring to “Alien” as “our little movie.” She made special note of the infamous “chest bursting scene” involving actor John Hurt.
“We forgot that we were making a movie,” she said. “It was so real to us and convincing. I can’t believe two guys got under a table and made that happen.”
The actress acknowledged and praised the late Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger, who died on May 13th at the age of 74. His vision and work were used to create one of cinemas most terrifying creatures. Giger was a consultant on the film and won an Academy Award for its Visual Effects.
Weaver also mentioned the film’s awareness regarding politics which has become ingrained as a significantly large part of the original film’s pop culture appeal.
“A lot of corporations are still characterized by the same kind of greed [as the film’s Weyland-Yutani],” she said. “It’s an idea that’s, unfortunately, very alive in our world.”
Source: herocomplex.latimes