WASHINGTON – The egg that spawned the freaky facehugger creatures in the 1986 sci-fi movie “Aliens” now has a new home – in one of the nation’s premier museums.
Sigourney Weaver, who starred in the movie, presented the 100-pound silvery-grayish egg to the National Museum of American History on Wednesday, along with an original script and several still photos from the movie.
“It’s a great honor for our movie. I’ve been to the Smithsonian a bunch of times with my family and to be here with all these cultural icons … we’re so lucky to be invited,” Weaver said. “I also think that people will get a big kick out of getting that close to an egg without a facehugger jumping out at them.”
The egg, which stands about 3 feet tall, doesn’t look nearly as frightening as it does on the big screen. It will eventually be displayed with other movie memorabilia such as the ruby red slippers Dorothy wore in the “Wizard of Oz” and Harrison Ford’s jacket and hat from “Indiana Jones.”
The curator of the museum’s performing arts collection, Dwight Blocker Bowers, hopes to have the egg on display within the next year. It will soon be sent to a lab for experts to inspect and catalogue.
Weaver harkened back to the first film in 1979, “Alien,” and discussed how she and the other actors were surprised in some of the scenes, especially the one where a tiny alien bursts out of the chest of actor John Hurt.
“No one warned us.” so when the alien popped out, everyone was just stunned, she said. “The look on our faces, we’re not acting. It’s just like, ‘Whoa, what was that?”‘ The 1979 thriller, directed by Ridley Scott, launched Weaver’s career.
She then starred as the extraterrrestrial-slaying heroine, Ellen Ripley, in three more Alien movies – “Aliens,” “Alien 3,” and “Alien Resurrection.”
And she may not be done. Weaver said she’s been talking to Scott about reprising her role as Ripley yet again.
“I’m very proud to be part of a series that people aren’t sick of,” she said.
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