The chat was supposed to be about upcoming science fiction epic “Avatar”, but the Associated Press’ Hilary Fox’s conversation with director James Cameron and star Sigourney Weaver ended up being as much about their first movie together, the iconic action classic “Aliens”, as it did their new one.
Cameron remembered the first time he met Weaver back in 1985, where his main concern was what kind of shoes she’d be wearing. “I knew she was a tall girl,” Cameron recalls. “I was thinking about her shoes. If she’s wearing tall heels she’s going to be this domineering personality and I’m going to be in for a rough ride. And if she’s wearing flats, she’s self-conscious about her height… I wanted the meeting to go well. I really wanted to make the movie. I thought we could do something pretty amazing together… She was actually wearing like a middle heel and I thought “Okay, this is going to work fine. She’s going to be strong, she’s going to be bold, but she’s not going to be completely out of control.”
Cameron is well known for his strong female characters, with Weaver’s character in “Aliens”, Ellen Ripley, practically the textbook example. “It redefined strength,” Cameron notes. “It wasn’t just about physically kicking butt, it was about having the emotional strength. It’s not about being strong and being fearless, it’s what you do in the face of fear. And that’s what the movie was all about.” “Action movies get a bad rap,” Weaver says. “Action is about character and it’s so exciting to see people who don’t fall apart under pressure.”
