"Play the Awful Woman": How Sigourney Weaver’s Daughter Inspired an Iconic Villain
Sigourney Weaver reveals how her 8-year-old daughter convinced her to play the villain in 'Holes'. A look at her iconic career choices leading up to 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'.
"Mom, there's this really awful woman in my book and you should play her." This simple suggestion from an 8-year-old girl led to one of the most memorable Disney villains of the early 2000s. According to Vanity Fair, Sigourney Weaver credits her daughter, Shar, for convincing her to take on the role of the Warden in the 2003 film Holes.
An Unlikely Career Advisor
Weaver recalled the moment Shar, who was reading the book in school at the time, recognized the potential for her mother to inhabit the character of Warden Louise Walker. Weaver expressed pride in her daughter's ability to separate the "awful" character from her mother while knowing that she would enjoy the challenge of the performance.
The Warden is famously known for forcing children like Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf) to dig holes in a desperate search for buried treasure. Weaver noted that she found the character unexpectedly touching, viewing her as a damaged individual driven by a childhood-long obsession and active PTSD.
Defying Age in the World of Avatar
Fast forward to today, Weaver is currently starring in Avatar: Fire and Ash, where she plays Kiri, a teenage Na'vi. Despite playing a character 60 years younger than herself through performance capture, her co-star Jack Champion told EW that her performance was so convincing it felt natural immediately.
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