Q&A Sigourney Weaver

By Barbara Kiviat; Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver stars in Imaginary Heroes, a movie about a family falling apart that still manages to be funny. It previews next week and opens across the country next month.

Director Dan Harris is 25. Was it odd taking orders from a kid?

Luckily, I'm very immature, so I don't feel he's that much younger. He must be an old soul. Age is one of those things that doesn't make any difference if you know what you're doing.

Your character in this movie smokes a fair amount of pot. Any worries about how your real-life teenage daughter might take that?

Well, she hasn't seen the movie. I think that she'd understand it was escapist.

She hasn't seen all your movies?

Her life is much more interesting than watching her mother in a movie. She's certainly never seen any of the Alien movies. What's nice is that they're there. It's a record of, "Oh, you were a baby when I carried that flamethrower."

What do you think of female action-adventure stars today?

I was lucky to have the directors I had. When I first appeared as Ripley, I came down in this little pastel costume, and Ridley Scott said, "You look like Jackie Onassis in space." And we [found] the flight suit I ended up wearing. When I see the costumes they put their women heroes in [today], they're so impractical. They've probably been told by the studio, "She has to kick ass, but we gotta really see those legs."

Your drama teachers at Yale told you that you had no talent. Anything you want to say to them now?

Oh, my goodness me. Years of therapy, and here I have my opening.

Take the low road.

I hope they're all sitting watching my movies late at night, eating cat food out of a can.