Posted on 02/13/2006 4:25:21 AM PST by Neville72
Berlinale, Day 3: Sigourney Weaver slams ‘macho America’ By Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop in Berlin.
Today at the Berlin Film Festival, I’ve spoken to stars Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman and their director Marc Evans after their film, Snow Cake opened the festival.
Seven other reporters and I sat with the team and discussed women and Brits in Hollywood, Weaver’s Alien effects and Rickman’s “instrument”.
I think Rickman still wanted to be out sightseeing but Weaver could have sat there until the cows came in (which might take a while in Berlin) if it wasn’t for her flustered agents.
The film is about the relationship between an autistic mother, Linda, and outsider Alex in the aftermath of a fatal car crash.
The script was written with Rickman in mind and Weaver spent months with people with autism researching her role.
We started with Weaver, who broke boundaries for Hollywood actresses while defending her space ship in the Alien series:Has your role in Alien made it easier for women to get major parts previously reserved for men?
S.W.: I don’t think so because I think, in an odd way, I was lucky because we really weren’t trying to do a sexy action hero. Not only do you normally have to do your own stunts but you have to be beautiful and sexy the whole time. I think what people responded to in Ripley was that she was a regular person and just very straight. It’s too bad that we haven’t had more of those kinds of women characters - they always have to have a gimmick and I think that’s a shame. Female-driven films are in a slump at the moment. Why do you think that is?
I don’t think there have been enough women-driven films to know that there is a trend -But in the 80s when that was much more successful –
Yeah, or in the 30s and 40s, you know. It’s a mystery to me. I think I’d prefer to acknowledge the fact that it’s hard to find a good story, that it’s just as hard for a male star to find an interesting part. There may be more parts but a great part is hard to come by. And it becomes more so the more that they do a big genre film… But I think it’s not so much a sexist world in Hollywood as it is an ageist world and I think that because the baby boomers are going to be such a major part of the audience, we’re going to require movies that we can relate to and I think they’re going to have to respond to us sooner or later.So does the lack of female roles reflect a tendency in society, or are producers just conservative?
It’s hard to say. For instance, I think Hillary Clinton would make a very good president - I think the reason she’ll lose is because she’s a woman and because she was the first lady, and that’s a shame. America’s in a really weird macho phase right now and I think that’s one reason why all these smaller, more delicate movies like Brokeback Mountain are important. The fact that they’re so popular is sending a nice message. Of course, our president still hasn’t bothered to see Brokeback but he will be continued to be asked about it, I’m sure. Are you conscious of gender roles when you choose your projects?
I guess I respond to the story and I respond to who the director is. In the case of Snow Cake, I have to say I was very taken by the part, but that’s unusual. Usually it’s like, whatever the part is I’ll work with it and I’ll try to get everything I can out of it. I’m not one of those sorts of people who dreams of playing certain parts, I just like to be a part of good stories.But you have a screen persona of playing strong, intellectually challenging women. Is it something you look for or does it just happen that way?
But I think women are strong. I think people think that if you’re strong, you can’t be weak and I think everyone is both. And what interested me about Linda was that she’s very strong, I would say fierce, but the most vulnerable as well. But, you know, I thought Ripley was vulnerable.On that topic, director James Cameron’s sparked new rumours about a new Alien film. Would you be happy to see one made
Guess that means we're almost back to normal. ;)
Why is it that liberals always want to demasculinize the American Male?
I have always found Sigourney Weaver weirdly macho in her own tall non-curvy way.
It's the chin.
Still, this stands out:
But I think women are strong.
Nothing like a "broad" generalization to start the morning, eh?
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Because it's a proven scientific fact that conservatives have bigger dingers. |
Well, Ms. Weaver, you think wrong. Wrong premise on all counts.
sigh, the obligatory picture of the village queers
yuk!
Kate O'Beirne's book causes me to ask whether Sigourney Weaver had a good relationship with her father and if not, should anyone be looking for her to define the role of men?
Seem Sigourney Weaver is in that aging washed out actress who has opinions that no one cares about phase.
The unmacho!
Sigourney Weaver is a man - she is just pissed because she was raped by a lizard alien and gave birth to the ugliest human (well next to Hilly goat's mother) on the planet.
Having a 6 foot girl friend can be handy for getting the peas off the top shelf - but that's about all.
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