I became Ripley in Alien because I didn’t want to play rich women: actress Sigourney Weaver

SINGAPORE – For much of her life, actress Sigourney Weaver recoiled at the thought of playing characters who mirror who she is in real life – a member of the American privileged class.

To confound the expectations of those in show business who saw her as an American princess, she signed up for a part in a slasher movie set in an ageing space freighter because it allowed her to play “an everyman character”. Crew member Ellen Ripley, as portrayed by Weaver in Alien (1979), would become an iconic character that the actress would reprise in three more Alien movies.

“Ripley was exactly what I was looking for,” the 73-year-old tells The Straits Times in an online interview about the role that would change her life, as well as change the way action and science-fiction movies, as well as video games, would portray female main characters.

“I’ve had a very privileged upbringing. I went to excellent schools, et cetera. But I didn’t want to play someone with my upbringing. I was interested in playing all kinds of characters.”

The actress is the daughter of Elizabeth Inglis, an English actress, and Sylvester Weaver Jr, a powerful television executive who was president of American broadcaster NBC in the 1950s.

“I’ve always tried to avoid playing the rich b***h. She’s often the character you are most likely to turn against,” she says.

But in the drama Master Gardener, which opens in cinemas on Thursday, she does play the “rich b***h”.

Norma Haverhill (Weaver) owns Gracewood Gardens, an estate known for its prize-winning floral displays. Her employee, horticulturalist Narvel Roth (Australian actor Joel Edgerton), is the genius behind the success of the Gardens.

After Ms Haverhill’s great-niece Maya (American actress Quintessa Swindell) lands in trouble, the dowager commands Narvel to take the young woman on as a trainee. Maya’s rebellious streak exposes secrets that threaten to upset the balance of power at the estate.

Weaver says she feels comfortable about playing a patrician like Norma because the character is not who she appears to be.

“I felt I could do it now because I’ve done so many other things. And I admire Norma – she’s a risk-taker, she goes her own way. You don’t see her hobnobbing with other rich people. She’s quite different from the society that she’s a part of,” she says.

The film is written and directed by Paul Schrader, who made his name with his screenplay for the drama Taxi Driver (1976). Directed by Martin Scorsese, it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It also earned an Oscar nomination for Robert De Niro, who played disturbed central character Travis Bickle.

Schrader is best known for writing and directing dramas about men struggling with a secret shame, as shown in recent acclaimed films First Reformed (2017) and The Card Counter (2021), of which Master Gardener is said to be the third in a thematically related set of stories.

For a movie created by a film-maker known for male character studies, its female characters are surprisingly empowered, says Weaver, who is married with a grown daughter. In a sex scene, the woman who runs the estate with an iron hand proves to be every bit as dominant in the bedroom.

“Listen, I’m 73 and I’ve been able to play several women who have very strong sex drives. And frankly, to be able to portray an older woman with a normal sex life is a great step forward for our society and for films. So, good for Paul,” she says.

“It’s a very naked scene, and I love how outspoken Norma is about what she wants. Good for her.”

Master Gardener opens in cinemas on Thursday.