Sigourney Weaver might be a big name today, but her journey to fame was anything but easy. Like many aspiring actors heading to Hollywood, her “overnight” success was more of a slow climb.
Even with lots of stage experience, Weaver hit an unexpected roadblock—her height. At six feet tall, she stood out in a way that wasn’t always helpful. “I couldn’t get an agent. If I walk into your office and I’m [nearly] six feet tall, they’re not going to sign me up,” she shared with Hello! Magazine. It seemed like Hollywood had some secret height limit she didn’t meet.
It took her four years to find an agent, and her first job came from a magazine called Backstage, not through some glamorous audition. Even after getting an agent, her height was still a big deal in auditions. “Casting me was not a conventional decision,” Weaver said.
She noticed that producers, including Al Pacino, would often sit down as soon as she walked in, probably not wanting to be overshadowed by gasp! A woman who is six feet tall.
But it was her impressive presence that director Ridley Scott needed for the movie Alien, which gave her the big break at 28. Her role as Ellen Ripley is iconic, to say the least, and Weaver set a completely new standard for female protagonists in sci-fi. She continued to dominate the genre in movies like Ghostbusters and Avatar. She’s even done comedy with films like Heartbreakers, something she thinks she is “pretty good at,” and wants to do more of.
And to all the men who felt small next to her — sorry, but Sigourney’s towering talent isn’t shrinking anytime soon!
Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity women who are 5 feet, 9 inches tall or over.
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