Movies - TV
Sigourney Weaver Convinced Ridley Scott To Cut One Steamy Alien Scene
By MICHAEL BOYLE
The "Alien" franchise's success often resulted from improv and accidents, and that includes scenes that were cut for not fitting with the rest of the movies.
During the filming of "Alien," Weaver had an objection to one of the scenes undergoing changes. It involved Ripley and Captain Dallas, played by Tom Skerritt, having sex.
The purpose was to offer "relief for crewmates after the death of Kane (John Hurt)," as mentioned in Roger Luckhurst's book on "Alien," but Weaver herself wasn't impressed by it.
During an interview with Marc Maron, Weaver asked both Maron and the audience if it tonally made sense: "Would you really get it on while this thing is running around?"
Despite reportedly being a favorite for director Ridley Scott, he eventually cut the scene, a decision that most fans and Weaver would likely agree was for the best of the film.
Several reasons support the smart choice of cutting the sex scene, but the key outcome is that Ripley truly becomes a character whose gender is essentially irrelevant to the story.