Introduced with Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror, the Alien film series has been one of the biggest projects in Sigourney Weaver’s Hollywood career. Starring the 73-year-old American actress as its lead character, Ellen Ripley, the franchise follows the constant encounters of humans with extraterrestrial species. Her character in the movie is also considered one of the most significant female protagonists in the history of cinema.
Weaver reprised her role in four movies, and the fourth installment in the film series, Alien: Resurrection, featured her last appearance as Ellen Ripley. The movie also featured a trick basketball scene. And her co-star Ron Perlman has shared that he almost ruined the scene.
Sigourney Weaver’s Shocking Trick Shot in Alien 4
Sigourney Weaver reprised her character as Ellen Ripley in the fourth installment of the Alien film series. Following the events of Alien 3, The Company brings her back to life as a clone. One of the sequences in the movie features Ron Perlman’s character, Ron Johner, teasing Ripley in the ship’s gym.
As she gets interrupted by Johner and his crew, she beats everyone before making an exit with a no-look shot, landing straight into the hoop. The Avatar actress allegedly made the shot in her first attempt after practicing for weeks for the same.
While the director of the film, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, wanted to get done with the scene with special effects and trick photography, Weaver was adamant about doing the scene herself. Jeunet even reportedly set the frame accordingly for a future edit, but it wasn’t necessary. However, the Hellboy star later shared that he almost ruined the iconic shot due to his excitement seeing Weaver’s shot.
Sigourney Weaver’s Co-Star Almost Ruined Her Iconic Scene
During an interview with People, Ron Perlman shared that the Alien star Sigourney Weaver actually made the shot in her first attempt. “That happened… First time. Nothing but net. As you saw it. No camera tricks, no nothing,” he said.
He recalled that his co-star practiced for that specific scene for a month. However, despite her constant practice, she never made it on her first attempt. And when she finally did it during that scene, Perlman was not able to contain himself.
He shared that as the shot went in, he yelled in excitement before the director cut the scene. “And everybody on the set was white. Instead of being celebratory, they were like, ‘Holy f*ck, Ron just ruined this magical thing,” he recalled. Thankfully, they were still able to get the footage right before his celebration, which was later replaced by a close-up shot of Ron Johner in disbelief at what he saw.
Sigourney Weaver’s Alien movies are available on Hulu.
Source: People
