Alien: Romulus star Cailee Spaeny says she watched Sigourney Weaver as Ripley on repeat “for months” in preparation

Alien: Romulus‘ Cailee Spaeny had big, Pulse Rifle-wielding shoes to fill. Taking over from Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley as the franchise’s new female lead is no small feat, but the Civil War and Priscilla star took it all in her stride.

“I had [Weaver’s] performance playing on repeat for months. I was sort of hoping that something would seep in,” Spaeny tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, July 19, which features the sci-fi horror sequel on the cover. “But I never felt intimidated. That role wasn’t written for a woman, so there was real freedom. And because Sigourney injected all of herself into it, that then opens up any other female who’s entering this franchise into not ever feeling that weird weight or pressure of playing a female lead.”

Spaeny plays Rain Carradine, one of a group of 20-somethings desperate for life beyond the mining colony they call home, who jump at the chance to board a scavenging ship on course for an abandoned space station. Their mission is far from straightforward, though, when they come face to face(hugger) with a certain Xenomorph-shaped threat. 

Spaeny did allow herself to channel her inner Ripley for at least one scene: the Aliens-homaging moment glimpsed in the film’s first trailer in which Rain steps off a cargo elevator while packing a proto-Pulse Rifle. “In a shot like that, you’ve got to lean in. You just go, ‘OK. Get those leaf-blowers ready! I’m going to hit that mark as slow as I possibly can,'” Spaeny adds with a chuckle. “I don’t feel that cool, but it definitely looks cool!”

Pre-order the Alien: Romulus issue of Total Film

Alien: Romulus is released in theaters on August 16. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, July 19.

Check out the covers below:

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios/Disney)

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it’s in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers. 

(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Amazon)