Sigourney Weaver's height stopped her getting acting work when she was younger
The 74-year-old actress is just under 6 foot tall, and she admitted her unconventional appearance meant she struggled to get an agent, and producers were reluctant to cast her because their male leads would "look short"
1 October 2024
She told Britain's HELLO! magazine: "I could not get an agent. If I walk into your office and I'm [nearly] six feet tall, they're not going to sign me up.
"It took me four years to get an agent and I got my first job, with Ingrid Bergman, through the publication 'Backstage'.
"Casting me was not a conventional decision. Often in Hollywood, as soon as I walked into a room, all the producers would sit down. Al Pacino would sit down.
"Nobody wanted to look short and that was how I took the temperature of the room."
Sigourney - who got her big break in 'Alien' at the age of 29 - was determined to be "someone people wanted to work with again".
She explained: "I thought, 'That way, I'll stay employed.'"
While the actress is known for the likes of the 'Alien' franchise and 'Gorillas in the Mist', she prefers comedies.
She said: "I don't want to sound conceited, but I'm good at comedy.
"I think you're either born with it or you're not.
"I think that's a very hard thing to teach. And I'm very grateful."
Sigourney can next be seen in horror 'Dust Bunny' and she's hailed the movie an "instant classic".
She said: "I play a not-so-nice person in it.
"I don't know what America will think of it. To me, it's an instant classic."
© 2024 Bang Showbiz, NZCity
