Sigourney Weaver recently recounted standing up to director James Cameron during the production of the 1986 film Aliens, when he yelled at a young female actor struggling with props. Weaver advised Cameron that yelling at one actor affects the entire cast and suggested shooting other scenes in the meantime. Cameron took her advice, and Weaver noted that he has since mellowed.
Sigourney Weaver shared her experience confronting James Cameron on the set of Aliens, the 1986 science-fiction action film that marked her return as Ellen Ripley following Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979. Cameron, new to the franchise at the time, was clashing with a young female actor over difficulties with props. Weaver approached him and said, “You know, when you yell at an actor, you yell at all of us, so understand that what she was doing actually was very hard. Maybe shoot something else while she gets used to doing this stuff the way you want it.”
Cameron heeded her words, and Weaver described him as “a good guy” who “really do[es] think Jim has mellowed.” After production wrapped, the two shared a dinner where Cameron revealed a “wildly funny, witty” side, contrasting the intense shoot. Weaver expressed relief at not working on Cameron's 1989 thriller The Abyss, which faced severe production challenges, including health risks from chlorine exposure that burned divers' skin and turned their hair white, as well as emotional breakdowns. Ed Harris, a star of The Abyss, recalled the cast feeling like “guinea pigs,” and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio walked off set after an unannounced camera issue during a intense scene, declaring, “We are not animals!”
Despite past tensions, Weaver has collaborated with Cameron on the Avatar franchise, appearing in all three films to date. Her co-star Stephen Lang observed that “a part of Jim that has leavened and lightened much over the years,” suggesting Cameron's natural inclination toward self-improvement. Cameron himself reflected, “Marinating, maybe, is a good term, right? It’s not like I was a screamer all day long. But every once in a while. Everybody’s entitled to a bad day.” His latest project, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is currently in theaters.
