3. The Actor Who Played Apone Had Been A Real Sergeant In The Marines
In order to bring a degree of authenticity to the Marine characters in Aliens, James Cameron put them on a training regime during pre-production to ensure that they had the looks and skills worthy of their characters. Britain's elite soldiers, the S.A.S., were drafted in to train the cast for two weeks before filming began, making sure they carried their weapons correctly and generally behaved like the soldiers they were supposed to be. No such training was required for Al Matthews, the actor who played Sergeant Al Apone. Having already served in the army during the Vietnam War, Matthews was more than familiar with the ins and outs of life in the military, proving that his commanding presence and distinct voice which barks orders throughout Aliens was more than just an act. Matthews in fact attributed his casting not to his acting ability but to his military record, although none of this saved Apone from a fate worse than death at the hands of the marauding xenomorphs.
