10 Horror Actors Forced Into Roles They Never Wanted

3. Sigourney Weaver - Alien 3

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley is one of the most iconic final girls in horror history. Having played the role in 1979's Alien, she eventually gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress when she returned in 1986's Aliens, a rare feat in the sci-fi genre.

But by the time Alien 3 was announced, it seemed that Weaver had no interest in returning to the role.

When plans for the film started, scripts were made to explain Ripley's absence, as one of the writers explained that Sigourney Weaver did not want to come back. The first and most popular script, written by cyberpunk author William Gibson, put Corporal Hicks in the lead role while Ripley spends most of the film in a coma. Eric Red's version of Alien 3 kills our final girl off-screen, while David Twohy's does not even feature her at all.

Eventually, Vincent Ward's story for Alien 3 would become the basis of that threequel, while 20th Century Fox convinced a very reluctant Weaver to come back with a hefty sum of $4 million as well as a co-producer credit. Though she only came back for the money, the actress gave the character a poignant conclusion, fitting for the series.