We spent five minutes talking with legendary science fiction heroine Sigourney Weaver. Find out what science fiction story she's most interested in playing now, what's next for Avatar's Dr. Grace, and why Ridley Scott needs to reinvent the Alien franchise.
What's the one deleted scene you're most excited for the rest of the world to see on the new Avatar DVD?
I think the thing I'm most excited about is not exactly a scene. The thing I'm most excited about is the 45 minutes that shows how we did the performance capture, and how the movie built on that. Because it shows that Jim Cameron created a process that's very organic to the actors, there's no voicing of blue characters. It's all absolutely based on every nuance in the human performance. I think it will be really be a revelation for people.
Do you think the future world [in the movie] learned from what happened on Avatar?
Did the Gulf Coast learn from what happened with BP?I think it's a mixed thing. People always want to do what will create money. I think for the Na'vi, I'm sure humans will return to the planet. I guess it's up to Jim to see if there are Na'vi who will cooperate, because I think money is a very corrupting thing. I'm not sure how much the species can learn from danger. But I'm pretty sure that the next time humans arrive the Na'vi don't just kill them, they're hopeful that the humans will be better behaved this time.
You mentioned in a different interview that your Avatar days are "just beginning" I'm curious what that means for your character Dr. Grace Augustine? Is this character really dead?
Well I'm not really at any liberty to talk in any detail, and really this is all up to Jim, I don't think he's written the second one yet. But I think that as far as she's concerned, there could be some argument as to whether that was death, or whether that was the end of one stage of life and the beginning of another for Grace.
Personally, what do you think is in the future for Grace?
I would love to continue to be involved, because I think Grace is a really compelling character. Her love for the all the living and the fact that she's a scientist, and Jim's a scientist too, I think that there's a lot of Jim Cameron in Grace and it would be fun to keep her around.
What science fiction role she always wanted to play but never got a chance to?
I don't really think like that. I don't think, "oh there are roles I want to play." I think more, "What kind of story would I like to tell?" I've actually done so few science fiction movies but they've turned out to be really exciting ones. I'd love to play in a movie where people actually try to colonize a new world. I think that would be exciting!
And speaking of your other legendary scifi roles, what kind of character does [director Ridley] Scott need to create to replace to role of Ripley [in his new Alien prequel film]?
I think probably he's better off not trying to create a new Ripley in the prequel. I think he should surprise the audience and maybe get away from it being quite like that. He's really going to have to reinvent, not only the creature, but the whole hierarchy of people. Maybe one of the ways of doing that is to have a different focus. I don't know, it's interesting. You're going to have to make some real changes, so that things aren't compared. I think it's better to start fresh.
But until the next Avatar and Alien film you'll have to catch Sigourney in the Alien Anthology DVD (and Blu-Ray) collection, coming out October 26th and on the Avatar Extended Collector's Edition, releasing on November 16th.