It might be fair to call Sigourney Weaver the unofficial queen of all sci-fi nerd. The Oscar-nominated actress, 76, has had a varied career playing roles ranging from primatologist Dian Fossey in Gorilla in the fog to Prospero in Storm by Shakespeare. For viewers of a certain age and certain super-fans, however, Weaver is the icon who starred in not one, not two, but three hugely successful franchises. It’s Ripley, the tough-as-nails heroine of the films Alien; Dana Barrett, professional cellist and former interpreter of the demigoddess Zuul in the films of Ghostbusters; and both xenoanthropologist Grace Augustine and her teenage daughter Kiri in the series Avatar by James Cameron, who returns to play in Fire and ash.
And just when you thought he couldn’t reach a higher rank in science fiction, Weaver is about to join the universe of Star Warsplaying a rebel leader in The Mandalorian by Grogua feature film based on the popular Disney+ series coming out next summer. “I was at the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, where you go on stage and there are thousands of people with these lightsabers and stuff… my God!,” Weaver said during a recent Zoom interview. «What energy! I’m so proud to be a part of all these sci-fi universes. It’s like being on a planet of its own.”
We spoke to Weaver about his experience with the scenes in motion captureabout how he scared Ivan Reitman during his audition for Ghostbustersof why she was never able to see 2001: A Space Odyssey and the secret to fixing Congress.
You have been involved in three major sci-fi/fantasy franchises: Alien, Ghostbusters e Avatarand you will be in the film of The Mandalorian coming out in 2026. Many people criticize or snub these types of films, but given their popularity, what do you think is their secret?
Well, I can only speak as someone who was attracted to it from the beginning… I have an instinct for commercial stories and films. I attribute it to my father [Pat Weaver]who was a television producer. I want to act in films that people want to see again and again, and that means it has to be a really good story, one that goes beyond its time and beyond the characters in it. I felt this feeling with Alieneven though I knew so little about science fiction. I mean, I never got to finish it 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Wait, really?
I don’t smoke weed. I get halfway, and then… that’s it. I’ll try again next year (ride). But also Ghostbusters e Avatar they were irresistible to me. I became an actress because I love adventure, and I thought that this way I could explore all these different worlds, different times, different people, different situations. And science fiction, for me, is the story that awaits us. It just hasn’t happened yet. And because it’s fantasy, you approach it as a viewer in a different way. There is a feeling of possibility. I think that’s really a blessing these days. Some think science fiction is just special effects. And it’s not. It’s more about dreaming about what could happen in another world, in another time. Sure, some of these big franchises are successes, others are failures. Sometimes, some great saga stops working. The Mandalorian it’s a good example of how to stay in the universe[[Star Wars]letting these shooting stars spread in different directions. I’m happy to be there.
And then you get to spend time with Grogu.
I get to spend time with so many different Grogu! There’s the Grogu that walks sometimes, and the Grogu that makes funny faces, and then there’s another Grogu that does that other thing, whatever it is… the Force?
Yes, it’s called the Force.
And it’s like six people who have to move in a small group around the main Grogu. I find it simply fascinating. I love being behind the scenes of productions like this.
You were the second most famous person on that set after Grogu.
I don’t know, I think Pedro Pascal is probably the most famous now. Maybe he’s over Grogu at this point.
Alien it was your first major role in a film, yet you avoided being labeled a “sci-fi actress”. You managed to play Dian Fossey and make films like A career woman e Ice storm.
I think after Ripley there was a bit of a desire to label me, because I was playing this strong woman. And that meant it was very difficult for people, especially people at the studios, to imagine that I could even be funny. It took a long time. I was in a comedy with Gregory Hines and Chevy Chase, but it was a disaster, and I don’t think there was anything really funny there. What was it called?
The deal of the century. You survived a William Friedkin production. Congratulations!
Yes, I did it! I remember a little old lady who came up to Friedkin while we were filming in Silver Lake, I think, and said (she sounds like an old lady): “Mr Frieeeee-dkin, what is this movie about?”. And he replied: “My dear, this film is about me not making a successful film in 10 years” (ride)
Incredible…
I know. And suddenly, the world I found myself in made a little more sense. Because Friedkin didn’t seem comfortable. He didn’t develop this story, he was simply hired to make it good. But it was only after reading the script of Ghostbusters and meeting Ivan Reitman that someone in Hollywood realized I could do comedy. I just wanted them to understand that, as an actress, there were no limits to what I could do. I could also play the part of the dog. They should have helped me somehow with the technology (ride), but I would have been perfectly capable of playing the soul of a dog. When I did that audition, I actually tried to play the dog on the couch, in front of Ivan. I didn’t want to make fun of the film: I was really trying to be a dog, playing with pillows, howling and letting my canine version out. He was terrified!
I can, um, imagine.
He had recorded everything, then he turned off the video camera and looked at me. He said, “Don’t ever do that again. It’s scary, and I guarantee you some editor will want to use it.” But then, after I left, Ivan called Harold Ramis and said, “This Sigourney Weaver just came in and she thought her character should turn into the dog.” In the original script, Dana was not seen transforming into the dog. The dog simply walked out of his refrigerator. So he had Ramis change the script and they hired me. But for about thirty years no one told me.
When you work on the films of Avatar with performance capture and all the cutting edge technology that James Cameron uses, does this change your approach to working?
You’re on an empty stage. You are wearing black tights and a helmet with a camera. It feels like one of the first theater rehearsals, where you simply learn with the other actor, also in black tights and a helmet. But we are completely free from all other technical obstacles, like hair, makeup, lights, everything else. We simply get to work. We let the scene develop, and in the meantime there are a lot of guys around with cameras filming it, so Jim can use his magic movie camera that he invented and assemble these different pieces from any angle. I would say it’s the most liberating way to act. It’s the exact opposite of what everyone thinks, which is that we’re overloaded with technology and have to pretend like there’s something when we’re just talking to, I don’t know, a plant in a pot. It’s almost better than normal film acting, where you have to take a lot of time and play this part first, then this part… there’s none of that here. One of the great joys of playing Kiri was being able to rediscover all my feelings and sensitivity of that age [l’adolescenza]and then take them with me to that sound stage. At this point, all of us who have chosen to embark on the journey with Jim, when we enter that empty room we feel as if we were truly on Pandora.
And you keep returning to that world…
I feel so lucky to be part of something that moves forward like this. That’s kind of how I felt with Ripley, you have the opportunity to go back and rediscover someone you know that you haven’t seen in a while. It’s an incredible adventure and a real luxury to be able to understand things you didn’t previously imagine about your character. But what I really love about working with Jim is that you can just jump in, and he’ll put it all on film.
Sigourney Weaver is Kiri in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ashes’. Photo: 20th Century Studios
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I don’t think I ever got the advice I needed at the time I needed it. For example, at drama school, they told me I had no talent. I don’t think there would have been anything anyone could have said to me to help me get through those moments. I should have gone to a psychologist. And I actually went to a psychologist at Yale: I had five sessions with her, and then all of a sudden she said to me, “Well, I’m afraid it’s over. Every student who has a nervous breakdown has five sessions, goodbye.” It took years before I could afford to go back to an analyst. Today I am still in therapy. I’m still trying to make up for lost time.
If you could go back in time, what advice would today’s Sigourney Weaver give to that young woman?
I don’t know if I would tell her anything. I think I’d just give her a hug. I can only say that, looking back, there was a silver lining: I came to New York without even expecting to have a career. I wanted to work in a pastry shop. I thought it would be cool. Or maybe get a job in a bank, so I could touch the money even if I didn’t earn it. So when I walked into an audition room, I was pretty reckless. The only way to overcome my fear was to simply expose myself, because I thought they didn’t know what they wanted. They just needed to see something alive, and I could give it to them. And that, in a way, helped me.
What are the most important rules you follow?
Look around. Understand that everyone needs to be seen and heard. Always try to start from kindness, because it is a balm. That’s the thing that I think allows us, as human beings, to move forward: that unexpected form of kindness. If there was kindness in Congress, we could actually have a functioning Congress. Another rule is… my mother was English. So I really don’t believe in complaining (in a low voice)… said Sigourney, complaining (ride). I’m a girl who rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. Wallowing in unhappiness that your mom didn’t pick you up from second grade on time or something won’t help you today. Go out, and let the day make you feel better. We always underestimate ourselves. Unless we’re talking about crazy people who overestimate themselves. We have one who is the president today.
Who are your heroes and why?
Oh god, I have so many. I would say the first living hero I had was Ingrid Bergman, because I worked with her when I was just out of drama school. I acted with her in the theater, and she was such a generous and kind woman… I found out later, reading her biography, that she had just had a mastectomy and that her friends had founded this [compagnia teatrale] to help her get through the experience. I was just amazed at how kind he was to a novice like me. I always sneaked into her dressing room like a thief and said: “Hi Ingrid, do you have any valuables?”. And she laughed and replied (does the voice of Ingrid Bergman): “Oh, Sigourrrr-ney, you know, I always give them to my partner!” And I replied: “Just to check, just to check”. My heroes right now are the women in politics trying to move us forward. Those who fight for our rights. I feel like we should all be Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez now.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I always had my nose in a book. They were my true escape. Even though my mother always read horrible things to us since we were little like Robinson Crusoe e Ben-Howwhere you ended up being terrified of lepers or cannibals or something like that. I don’t know what he thought! I immersed myself inside Alice in Wonderlandand then in a lot of other things. It’s nice to be a book nerd.
What’s the most frivolous purchase you’ve ever made?
I have a garden at my home in New York State, where gardens are very short-lived. They say autumn [lì] starts on July 4th. So making a garden was a bit crazy. But there’s something wonderful about having a little patch of land full of flowers, hummingbirds, butterflies and bumblebees. It’s like heaven.
I thought you were going to say: put a swing in a Manhattan apartment.
(Ride) Well, I put the swing up to remind me to sit and look at the city, because I tend to get caught up in things. But she didn’t do her duty, or rather, I didn’t allow her to do her duty: my desire to do something intervenes after 10 minutes. But we are not here just to push, push, run, reach. I try to find now, at my advanced age, a way to simply be in the world and experience it.
What music still moves you when you listen to it, no matter how much you’ve listened to it?
I’m lucky because my husband is a huge jazz fan. There’s a lot of it in the house and I never get tired of it. Bossa nova is my favorite genre. If I have to do something challenging, I always play Brazilian music, or sometimes African music.
What is your favorite city in the world?
It’s easy. Paris.
What do you love about Paris in particular?
I love walking down the streets and noticing all these different people, of all ages, all so… French (ride). I have great respect for the way the French approach things. My best friend is French – her name is Catherine [Leterrier] and made the costumes for Gorilla in the fog – and I have spent a lot of time with her and her family, over the last 45 years. Just being part of that culture is a continuous education for me. You walk around the city and it’s all one: “19th century, 18th century, 19th century, 17th century…”. I think their priorities are very different from ours.
What do you think our priorities are?
They are faster. More frenetic. Do more. Hurry up. It’s the one thing I never told my daughter: hurry.
And Rolling Stone US
