Sigourney Weaver might be exploring Pandora in Avatar: Fire and Ash, but she wishes more people had watched her forgotten 1999 drama which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
Weaver’s filmography is filled with a wide range of movies and genres, but she’s best known for fighting for her life against the Xenomorph as Ellen Ripley in Ridley Scott’s Alien in 1978. Then, 8 years later, James Cameron‘s sequel, Aliens, further cemented her place in cinematic history thanks to the blend of action and horror.
She reunited with Cameron on 2009’s Avatar as Dr. Grace Augustine, the head of the RDA’s avatar program who’s in charge of putting soldiers into their alien bodies and forging bonds with the Na’vi people. But her role drastically changed in 2023’s The Way of Water as she transitioned into playing 14 year old Kiri — Grace’s Na’vi daughter.
Dexerto sat down with Sigourney Weaver to talk about the latest Avatar sequel when she revealed the 1999 movie she wishes more audiences had seen.
Sigourney Weaver wishes more fans had seen her work with Oscar-winner Julianne Moore
Weaver spoke to Dexerto about Avatar: Fire and Ash but explained how she wishes more fans had watched the 1999 drama, A Map of the World, in which she starred opposite Julianne Moore.
“Well, I think I would love more people to have seen ‘A Map of the World,’ which I thought was one of my most interesting characters and a great movie,” she explained. “I recently saw it at a festival and I thought ‘Whoa, that’s really good!’ I’m proud of it. I think there have been some movies that I’ve done that people haven’t seen at all, and really I’m proud of all of them and I do all of them again.”
A Map of the World sees Weaver play Alice Goodwin, a mother in Wisconsin who faces allegations of child abuse when her friend’s daughter dies on her property. Julianne Moore plays Theresa Collins, Alice’s friend and the mother of the daughter at the heart of the story. It’s not exactly a light and easy watch as the Alice grapples with the way the local community attacks her for the death of the girl.
But Weaver earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film, and it’s clear that she’s incredibly proud of her work, even if mainstream audiences didn’t see it as much as her other box office hits. It also stars David Strathairn as Alice’s husband, Howard, and he’s best known for movies like The Bourne Ultimatum, L.A. Confidential, Nomadland, and Nightmare Alley.
During the conversation, Weaver also pointed out that she’s proud of Avatar: Fire and Ash “the most” because while it does provide an escape for audiences, it’s still relatable.
“We do have war, we do have so many refugee families, so much bitterness and politics… And this movie is a chance to get away from all that all over the world and just come to a planet where they’re experiencing many of the same issues and they’re going to cope with them as best they can,” Weaver explained.
The star added that the Sully family’s “great physical courage” keeps her coming back for more. “I’ve seen it three times! It’s probably the only movie of mine I’ve seen three times really in two weeks, and I really want to see it again because I can’t believe what I’m seeing. So that’s a present to me.”
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