It’s been 30 years since James Cameron followed Ridley Scott’s seminal work Alien with a bigger, bloodier sequel. Aliens was Cameron’s third film, and it skyrocketed the director’s mass-market appeal, having been proceeded only by The Terminator. This man could make big movies, and they could work. Since then, Aliens has become a classic piece of the modern sci-fi canon, paving the way for sequels, spin-offs, and imitations.
At this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, cast members Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, the retired-from-acting Carrie Henn (a.k.a. Newt), Paul Reiser, and Ripley herself, Sigourney Weaver, were joined by producer Gale Anne Hurd and Cameron for a panel to discuss their massively successful and influential work with Films That Rock.
Interestingly, the panel starts with Cameron and Hurd discussing the trick of pulling off the Alien Queen, a feat that required a test before they could convince themselves it would even work. Cameron also mentions how Weaver wanted to know nothing about the Oz-behind-the-curtain aspect of bringing the Alien Queen to life, so that it could be all the more real for her performance: “I don’t even want to hear about it,” she jests as the director divulges the creature’s real creation to her.
Check out the full panel, which also covers behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from set, below: