10 Trick Castings That Totally Fooled You
4. Sigourney Weaver – Alien
That’s right, Ripley. All the way back in 1979 Sigourney Weaver was an unknown actress, cast in a supporting role in a horror flick. Actor Tom Skerritt was the biggest name in the cast, and since he was playing the captain everyone just assumed he was the star.
Ripley is just part of the ensemble for the first two acts, but as crew members die – including Skerritt – she gradually takes on a leadership role. She’s ultimately the last survivor of the movie, and would go on to become one of the most iconic characters in sci-fi.
It’s easy to underestimate how surprising this was back then, since everyone is now familiar with how awesome Ripley is. An audience walking in blind had no way of knowing this, and the unpredictably just added to the tension.