Sigourney Weaver takes on a role originally written for a man in the action thriller Abduction directed by John Singleton and starring Taylor Lautner and Lily Collins. It's not the first time the three-time Oscar nominated actress has been cast in a part originally conceived with a male in mind, and at the LA press day for Lionsgate Films' Abduction, Weaver explained the appeal of taking on a character meant for a member of the opposite sex.
"I think when a writer is putting a script together, I think that they often aren’t thinking about the actual chemistry of everyone together. It's one of those things that I prefer actually if a part is written for a man, because I find that sometimes when it’s written for a woman and it’s a strong part, they always have some stupid breakdown scene or some stupid thing that would never really happen. So I prefer the purity of it. I’m not insulted at all, I’m very flattered. But I guess that's because I’ve been in years of therapy," explained Weaver, laughing.
Sigourney Weaver Interview
How was working with upcoming star Taylor Lautner?
Sigourney Weaver: "I think he’s already a star, isn’t he? I love working with young people. At our theatre in New York, The Flea, we have a different young company every year. We have about 50 young actors, a very diverse group from all over. And what I love about our industry is working with all generations. We are all equals, no one is this and someone else is that; everyone is doing the same work professionally, together. I find it very exciting. So working with Taylor and Lily I just feel like the whole ensemble was just very copasetic. It was an intense movie. Everyone brought their best to it and in between set ups we’d goof around and do stupid things together, fat booth - fat photo booth [laughing]. Just goofy things, you know? I really enjoyed it."
How difficult was it with all the girls camped on the set who were really into meeting Taylor? How strange was it for you to be surrounded by Twilight fans?
Sigourney Weaver: "I have to say I was completely unaware of all that. I realize now that they put a lot of time and effort into the security aspects, because I was oblivious. I didn’t realize there were all these girls till much later when people said, 'Where are all the girls?' I thought, 'I don’t know, I don’t see any!' I think they had really great security. I’m sure he was aware of it because they had to rescue him probably. But when I was with him, no one got near us. I thought it was fantastic because usually if you're shooting on the street, you can’t get away from people. There were no people anywhere near us. I liked that."
And working with director John Singleton?
Sigourney Weaver: "Yes, I love John. He's such a film lover and has such extensive knowledge of film. I never took a film course in my life so to hear him just talk about all these different genres and everything, he really knows his stuff. He is a director I admire and I was delighted to get a chance to work with him."
How much did he actually direct you?
Sigourney Weaver: "He got in there. Because of what I was playing, which was someone who I think she is actually a therapist, she doesn’t pretend to be a therapist for one hour a week. We had to kind of...I didn’t want to show any of the other thing, so I think he agreed with me. He certainly is a hands-on director with all of us, I think."
What did you change?
Sigourney Weaver: "I'm not sure we changed anything. We would try different things and then he would pick his favorite. The tone of the end, because that was a scene we actually added in a reshoot where I come in at the end. Because I think the audience was thinking, 'What's going to happen to this poor boy?’ and they needed him to have someone who was going to be there for him. So they added that which, I think, was logical."
How do you choose your movies at this point? What are you looking for?
Sigourney Weaver: "I love to mix it up and I have to say that one of the things I love, and I have like five movies coming out, so I play a vampire in Amy Heckerling's movie, then I play a bad CIA person..."
Bad like incompetent or bad as in evil?
Sigourney Weaver: "An evil...well, not evil. I have my reasons for doing what I do. But, anyway, what's exciting to me is the gamut of what I’m offered. There is no logic behind it as far as I can see. People just often need something or someone, and often it is a man's part and they kind of go, 'Oh, too much testosterone in the movie, let's throw in another element."
Is that true?
Sigourney Weaver: "Oh yes, this was a man’s part. I think the role in Cold Light of Day was a man’s part. So that often happens to me and I, as a feminist, I go, 'Yes! I’m taking over.' It’s good because women are playing these roles in real life. I’m very happy to represent women playing these other kinds of roles, even if they are villains."
We just had the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and your work in The Guys is so memorable.
Sigourney Weaver: "We did the play last week, we did four performances: two for the fireman. I did it with Tom Wopat. The material is very eloquent and it really holds up after ten years. I was very moved because the widows and children that we talk about in The Guys came to one of the performances. It’s a hard week in New York, I have to say. I was very grateful that I had a way to reach out and thank the firemen and the policemen again. As an actor, I found playing something like that character, Joan, even though we did it as a reading, it really puts you through your paces. I found it very, very interesting to do it again. [...]I’m very glad I got a chance to do that last week."
Do you think you’ll do it again in 10 years?
Sigourney Weaver: "I don’t know. I think I’ll be too old to do it in 10 years, but I was very happy to do it now. The New York community, and the nation too, we really felt everyone was there for us. I don’t know. I think what is good is for other actors to do it. It’s a very powerful piece and lends itself to a lot of different interpretations."
You're busier now than you've ever been.
Sigourney Weaver: "I know and I really like it because people go, 'Oh, but this is a small part,' but I really don’t think of it that way. To me, it was a part that's tricky and I was asked to do something that I’ve never done. And, I actually think it’s much harder to play a small part than to carry a movie. I’ve carried a movie plenty of times, but to go in and do what you're supposed to do and serve the movie in that way, it's always different, you know? I enjoyed that and I found it challenging. I’ve learned a lot from it."
Can you list all five of your upcoming movies?
Sigourney Weaver: "Okay, let me try and remember. This one I think I’m counting, and then I’m not sure what the name of it is - it’s the new Oren Moverman's movie with Woody Harrelson. It just opened in Toronto. I don't think it's still called Rampart. It was Rampart when we made it but then I heard it was changed to End of Days. Then there is Vamps where I play an unrepentant vampire and she’s very funny. Then, Cold Light of Day...bad, bad, rogue CIA agent but very sweet. Then with Cillian Murphy and Robert De Niro I did Red Lights. Rodrigo Cortes who did Buried, and this is his opus. It’s about the paranormal and Cillian and I play a sort of professorial duo who go around about debunking psychic phenomenon including Robert De Niro who is a sort of a psychic entertainer. That’s it for right now."
And you're doing more Avatars.
Sigourney Weaver: "We are going to do two more, back to back."
How did you end up in part two because you died in part one?
Sigourney Weaver: "Really? That’s an interpretation. You saw something happen to me, but…"
Then the mind of James Cameron takes over, right?
Sigourney Weaver: "Then, as he says, 'In science fiction no one ever dies.' But we'll talk another time about that."
Is there any update on Ghostbusters 3?
Sigourney Weaver: "I was hoping you could tell me. I guess Bill [Murray] hasn’t read the script yet."
Would you do it if Bill said no?
Sigourney Weaver: "No, I don’t think any of us would do it if Bill said no. Why would we do that?
I don’t know.
Sigourney Weaver: "No, I think the whole point is to get together and have fun."
So it’s all riding on Bill?
Sigourney Weaver: "Yeah, he probably loves that. No, I think he’s just been busy. He's over in England playing Franklin D. Roosevelt or something. He is, seriously!
Are you sure he just isn’t golfing in England?
Sigourney Weaver: "I’m sure he’s doing some of that too. That’s what I heard anyway."
Can you call him up and put some pressure on him to read the script?
Sigourney Weaver: "I would never do that. I don’t think that works with Bill. I did actually ask him about The Guys, because he did it with me originally. I called the 800 number and left the message. And when he doesn’t respond, then you know that he’s not interested. It’s actually a pretty good system. I envy him in a way. No email, no phone calls, no agent, I don’t know what he does."
He’s off the grid.
Sigourney Weaver: "He doesn’t do any of that."
He could be smarter than all of us.
Sigourney Weaver: "I think so, I really do."
So you can't tell us anything about the script or where the story will go?
Sigourney Weaver: "I haven’t read the script. They were working on it and I talked to Ivan Reitman. I said, 'I only have one request and that is that my little son Oscar would grow up to be a Ghostbuster.' And he said, 'That’s already done.'
That makes sense.
Sigourney Weaver: "Yeah. So, I don’t know anything about it. Frankly, I’m glad because I don’t want to get attached to doing it if Bill’s not going to come through. We’ll see. We’ll see what he wants to do."
How hard is it for you as an actress working with the new technology, like what was used in Avatar?
Sigourney Weaver: "I think all of it is so preferable to green screen, which was a nightmare where you have to pretend you see something. Whereas with Avatar, performance capture which is light years ahead of all the rest of it, you were in an empty space with your fellow actors just really doing masters and it was more like the theatre than anything. It was completely organic and true, and I loved it. It is completely actor-centric. I think a lot of actors don’t realize how much they need actors in this new world. The artists are wonderful, but they can’t infuse it with soul; that is our job. So I love all that. I’m just dancing through it. I think it’s wonderful."
You are not afraid that one day there will be no human actors anymore because of the technology?
Sigourney Weaver: "They can try, but I think the audience will know that it’s got no real blood inside it. I have more faith in the audience, maybe. Maybe the studios would like to do it without us, but I think they won't be able to."
Avatar proved that, didn’t it?
Sigourney Weaver: "I think it did. But I think that it's been a learning curve and now with the DVD out I think people can really see, for instance with Zoe Saldana, how much that part was informed by her. That wasn’t WETA artists making her. She was holding that bow and arrow and she was infusing that part with all that life and very moving, whether she’s blue or in a little black suit."
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Abduction hits theaters on September 23, 2011.
