Sci-Fi movies have not been known to do well when it comes to Oscar nominations, and back in 1986, the last thing Sigourney Weaver expected to gain from reprising her role as Ellen Ripley in Aliens was a nomination for Best Actress. In a recent interview ahead of her appearance in Avatar: The Way of Water, Weaver recalled how the nomination was a huge surprise to her at the time.
Aliens took the singular xenomorph of Ridley Scott’s original 1979 movie Alien, and replaces atmospheric horror with one of the best sequels and action movies of all time. At the center of both movies was an outstanding performance by Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, who was the sole survivor of the original movie and after decades sleeping in hyperspace found herself back in the middle of an alien assault, which this time led her to a showdown with the formidable Alien Queen. Even though genre movies are not renowned for attracting nominations in the big categories at the Oscars, Weaver’s performance was enough for the Academy to give her a shot at an award. Speaking to Jake’s Takes, Weaver reminisced about the award nomination, saying:
“It was a huge surprise to all of us because it was in that other world. I think that Jim Cameron created such an amazing structure for the character of Ripley, to start out with no one believing her and thinking she's crazy and all these other things. He gave me so much to work with, and I really appreciate the Academy community getting over whatever prejudices they might have against this kind of sci-fi genre and nominating me for the actual work. Because I do think it's an amazing role, and I was very very honored to be nominated for it.”
Sigourney Weaver Returns To The World of Avatar This December
Sigourney Weaver’s role in Avatar seemed to be a one-shot part, with her character Dr. Grace Augustine dying in the movie’s climax. However, when the casting for Avatar: The Way of Water was announced, Weaver’s name was in the cast list prompting many questions about how this was going to be possible.
It was subsequently revealed that Weaver is not reprising her role, but will instead play a new role as the adopted teenage daughter of Jake and Neytiri. While the character will be completely CGI, removing the issue of age, Weaver explained to Empire about how the role actually allowed her to return to her own inner child. She said:
“I think we all pretty much remember what we were feeling as adolescents. I certainly do. I was 5’ 10” or 5’ 11” when I was 11. I felt strongly that Kiri would feel awkward a lot of the time. She’s searching for who she is. I was thrilled to be given that challenge by Jim.”
In the same interview, director James Cameron explained the thought that went into Weaver returning to take on the new role, and having worked with the actress on Aliens, it seems the challenge was one that he knew Weaver could stand up to. He said:
“As an acting challenge, it’s big. We’re gonna have a 60-something actor playing a character [decades younger than] her actual biological age. Sig thought it was all kinds of fun. Sigourney just became younger. She looked younger, she had more energy, and she never quite stepped out of Kiri for our whole capture period. She had a glow on her face and lightness in her step and a fun spirit.”
Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters this December, with the original Avatar currently back in cinemas for a limited time.