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Alien star Sigourney Weaver thinks that the reason fans love Ripley is because they’re Ripley, too
Who hasn't faced down an unkillable alien lifeform while also contending with far-future capitalism? Ripley is just like us for real.
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In the realm of sci-fi action heroes, few have been as celebrated as Ripley from the Alien franchise. Across multiple sequels and decades, Sigourney Weaver has made Ripley one of the most accessible and vulnerable characters in action film history. And it is precisely because Ripley is so vulnerable and human that she has connected to fans over the years, according to the actor.
Speaking to Empire Magazine on the cusp of Predator: Badlands hitting theaters, Sigourney Weaver reflected on what makes Ripley such an enduring figure in action movie history. “I feel that one of the reasons Ripley endures as someone who even can inspire me if I need a little encouragement, is that she is an ‘everyperson.’ She’s a human character.”
That humanity is something that has only grown over time for Weaver, and it makes Ripley stand out against the action stars of the time and today. “As the years have gone on, I feel like the reason she’s interesting to people is because, as you say, she’s a human being, she’s not all powerful. I always felt I was so in touch with my own vulnerability when I was playing Ripley. She doesn’t pretend it doesn’t exist, she just had to keep going. And I feel like women certainly were looking to see that in films, but I also think people were just looking for a character who can navigate situations and come out of them and do it not in a super-human, Marvel way. I think we all see ourselves in characters like that [where] it’s not easy. You have to survive this scene in order to get to the next thing.”
Sigourney Weaver’s years of portraying Ripley have seen her combat the most terrifying things in the universe – from unkillable monsters from space to the uncaring juggernaut that is unchecked capitalism. All just by being human. (And, you know, the occasional Power-Loader.)
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