Avatar: Sigourney Weaver talks working with “demanding” James Cameron and shooting multiple sequels back-to-back

In 1979’s Alien, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley was a survivor, but in 1986, James Cameron made her a certified badass. She returned to work with Cameron for his 2009 special effects spectacular, Avatar, and she has been back to film with the notoriously obsessive perfectionist director for the subsequent sequels. For Avatar: The Way of Water, she will be playing a Na’vi character named Kiri.

Weaver sits down with Vanity Fair to speak about her career going forward as she has a new movie, titled Call Jane, on the horizon in addition to Avatar. Weaver talks about the workaholic that is James Cameron and how tirelessly he strives for his vision,

He is very demanding, but no one is more demanding than Jim is on himself. So whatever the hours were, whatever the challenge is—there was a lot of underwater work—it was an adventure, I have to say. But I always know that when I’m with Jim, I’m going to be safe. I mean, you don’t really know what’s going to happen when you take on this performance-capture kind of person.”

As the sequels to the sci-fi adventure shoot back-to-back, with four movies planned, Weaver admits she sometimes doesn’t know which scene belongs in what movie. “We shot 2 and 3 together, and my friend, Trinity, who plays my little sister, was my guest at these Elle Awards last week, and she said, ‘Sometimes I can’t remember what’s in 2 and what’s in 3.‘ And I said, ‘I’m right there with you.’ [Laughs.] So for us, it will be quite an amazing experience. I hope we get to see it before we have to talk about it. I’m hoping that we will have an opportunity. But no one is going to see it, really. We’re all going to see it at the same time because that’s when it’s going to be ready.”

Avatar: The Way of Water is due out in theaters on December 16.