Sigourney Weaver tears up after iconic 'Alien' role linked to Kamala Harris' historic presidential bid
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It was a glamorous night at the Venice Film Festival, but things took an emotional turn when a reporter's question moved Sigourney Weaver to tears.
The iconic star of the 'Alien' franchise choked up with happy tears on Wednesday, August 28, as she reflected on the possibility that her groundbreaking roles as a female action hero helped pave the way for Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic presidential bid.
An emotional moment for Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver was in Venice to receive the prestigious Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement, but the moment became even more special when a reporter asked if her trailblazing career in Hollywood had inspired powerful women like Kamala Harris.
"To what extent movies, cinema can make it possible that a woman like Kamala Harris can be President of the United States?" they asked.
Overwhelmed, the 74-year-old thespian responded, “To think for one moment that my work would have anything to do with her rise makes me very happy, actually,” wiping away tears as she spoke.
The room was filled with emotion as Weaver continued: “I love that question. I love that question because we’re all so excited about Kamala."
Best known for her role as Ellen Ripley — a fierce, no-nonsense heroine who fought aliens and broke cinematic stereotypes, Weaver spoke about the influence her character has had on fans and pop culture overall. “It’s true,” she said, "I have so many women who come and thank me," before taking a pause to collect herself.
The actress went on to praise Harris. “It’s been difficult since 2016, and we’re all very grateful about her,” she added.
Weaver’s comments didn’t just stop at politics. Throughout the press conference, she reflected on her extensive career and the evolving role of women in Hollywood. The 'Ghostbusters' and 'Avatar' star is still breaking barriers and defying age norms in an industry that often sidelines older women, Variety reported.
“Suddenly, I think they had decided somehow that older women could actually play interesting characters and started writing a lot of older women characters,” Weaver mused. “Suddenly, we stopped being a joke and a mother-in-law, and we started to be real people because actually a lot of our audience are real people.”
And when asked about her reputation for playing strong female characters, Weaver dismissed it as a special choice. “I’m always asked why I play strong women and I always think that’s such a weird question because I just play women, and women are strong and women don’t give up,” she explained. “You know why? We can’t. We have to do it.”
Celebrities rally behind Kamala Harris
Sigourney Weaver’s heartfelt words come at a time when Hollywood stars are actively weighing in on the 2024 presidential race, using their platforms to back their favorite candidates.
Forbes reported how a slew of celebrities — including Nick Offerman, Jane Fonda, Ben Stiller, Kathy Griffin, John Stamos, Ed Helms, Tiffany Haddish, and Ike Barinholtz — joined a "Comics for Harris" virtual rally that reportedly raised close to half a million dollars for Kamala Harris' campaign.
'Sex and the City' star and former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon also threw her support behind Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in a cheeky post on X that read, “I’m Walzing on air!”
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban also endorsed Walz, describing him as a candidate who "can sit at the kitchen table and make you feel like you have known him forever."
Having said that, not all voices in Hollywood are aligned. Actress Rosanne Barr, a long-time supporter of former President Trump, slammed Cuban’s endorsement and called the choice of Walz “another reason Harris is a disaster."
