Sigourney Weaver Once Confronted James Cameron for Yelling at a Co-Star

Sigourney Weaver recently shared a story with The New York Times about standing up to James Cameron during the filming of 1986’s “Aliens.”

The movie marked her return as Ellen Ripley after the original “Alien” and was Cameron’s first time directing in the franchise. Weaver recounted that Cameron was frustrated with a young female actor struggling with props on set.

“I sort of trundled up to him and I 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,’” Weaver said. She added that Cameron listened and later described him as “a good guy. I really do think Jim has mellowed.”

Weaver also reflected on her dinner with Cameron after finishing the film. She noted that he was funny and witty outside the stressful set environment.

“I can understand why that guy couldn’t come out during ‘Aliens,’ because that was a tough shoot, especially for him. Let’s put it this way: I’m glad I wasn’t shooting ‘The Abyss’ with him,” she said, referring to Cameron’s 1989 thriller known for its extremely challenging production.

The production of “The Abyss” was particularly difficult. Actors like Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio experienced emotional breakdowns, and Ed Harris recalled moments of intense stress on set, including dangerous conditions in a massive water tank. As Harris told Entertainment Weekly, “We were guinea pigs, in a way… Mary Elizabeth stood up and said, ‘We are not animals!’ and walked off the set.”

Despite past difficulties, Weaver chose to work with Cameron again on the “Avatar” films. Co-star Stephen Lang noted that Cameron has changed over the years. “A part of Jim that has leavened and lightened much over the years… I think he embarked upon a course of self-improvement,” Lang said.

Cameron himself explained, “It’s not like I was a screamer all day long. But every once in a while. Everybody’s entitled to a bad day. If you’re not doing the job, then get out of my way.”

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