Among the several factors that contributed to making Ridley Scott’s Alien so iconic, Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of Ellen Ripley and the set designs stand out as the two most prominent ones. Like Weaver, who did an impeccable job with the material she was given, cementing Ripley as one of the most iconic characters in the realm of movies, the sets also did a great job hooking the viewers.
But even before fans got a taste of the film’s brilliant set designs, which established a sense of queasiness and fear in the audience, it was Weaver’s parents who experienced the sets firsthand.
Sigourney Weaver’s Parents Were Overwhelmed by Alien’s Set Design
Considering the set design for Ridley Scott‘s Alien was pretty distinguishable from other sci-fi hits at the time, Weaver’s parents were taken aback by the sets after the actress gave them a tour of it. Unlike many Sci-fi works that want viewers to explore its fictional world, for most of Alien‘s runtime, fans are stuck in the twisted corridors of a spaceship. The creators didn’t drop the ball with these corridors, as they did succeed in creating a sense of fear for viewers while also maintaining a palpable sense of intrigue, and Weaver’s parents were left a little overwhelmed. She told Danny Peary,
“I remember taking my parents around this set. It was like wandering through some Playboy orgy room. There was this huge spaceship with vaginal doors and there were beautiful female bones. They were gulping, ‘Very interesting, very interesting.”
But in contrast to her parents, this was the major reason that pushed Sigourney Weaver to take the lead gig in Alien, as HR Giger’s incredible design for the sets stuck with her since the first viewing.
Sigourney Weaver Appreciated Ridley Scott for Getting Straight to the Point
For the most part, Sigourney Weaver had a great time working on the Alien, thanks to Ridley Scott’s direct approach. Apart from commending his impressive skills as a director, Weaver expressed appreciation for Scott’s approach, as he never wasted time and always got to the point. In the same interview, she further stated,
“In an industry where there’s so much b-llshit I really appreciated his just getting to the point. We didn’t have to waste time.”
Since her days in Alien, Weaver hasn’t looked back as she kept moving forward to several acclaimed projects. But the experience of working on the Ridley Scott classic remains close to her heart.
Alien is available to stream on Disney+.
Source: Omni’s Screen Flights/Screen Fantasies
