Cailee Spaeny Explains How Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley Helped Her in ‘Alien: Romulus’

August 21, 2024 @ 9:31 AM

In preparation for starring in “Alien: Romulus,” Cailee Spaeny had “Alien” on repeat, watching Sigourney Weaver’s performance in particular. And according to the rising star, that performance really made it “easier” for her to enter the franchise, specifically as a young woman.

Spaeny leads “Alien: Romulus,” directed by Fede Álvarez and in theaters now, as Rain Carradine. The film takes place between “Alien” and “Aliens,” making it both a prequel and a sequel. Weaver starred in the original “Alien” as Ellen Ripley, and for Spaeny, the draw of that character was how “unassuming” she starts out.

“She’s sort of — it becomes survival. You don’t sort of expect her to become the hero, you know?” Spaeny explained to TheWrap ahead of the film’s release. “So that was interesting.”

But what helped Spaeny figure out her own space in the “Alien” franchise even more was the fact that Weaver’s role was originally written for either gender, it just happened to go to a female. As a result, Spaeny noted how Weaver had “a lot of space” to really make the character her own.

“I think that was something she was conscious of, of not playing whatever it means to be a woman in a sci-fi film,” Spaeny added. “So I think because she sort of paved that way, it was easier for me to step into this franchise as a woman. She’s really, she just is so iconic. I could watch her — she’s just one of the most fascinating actresses.”

Spaeny stars alongside Isabela Merced, Aileen Wu, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux and Spike Fearn in the seventh entry in the franchise.

“Alien: Romulus” is now in theaters everywhere.