Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:14,973 --> 00:00:17,143
Drake, we are leaving!
2
00:00:18,559 --> 00:00:20,600
In 1986,
3
00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:23,687
at the legendary
Pinewood Studios in Britain,
4
00:00:23,772 --> 00:00:25,862
a Canadian writer-director…
5
00:00:26,484 --> 00:00:29,454
helmed what he hoped
would be a science fiction movie…
6
00:00:29,528 --> 00:00:30,658
Ready.
7
00:00:30,739 --> 00:00:32,908
…like nothing that had come before.
8
00:00:32,990 --> 00:00:33,871
And action.
9
00:00:33,950 --> 00:00:36,700
The director was James Cameron,
10
00:00:36,786 --> 00:00:39,286
and the movie was Alien 2.
11
00:00:39,371 --> 00:00:42,171
It was Aliens and not Alien 2.
Noted.
12
00:00:42,250 --> 00:00:45,000
Well, the battle to make Aliens…
13
00:00:45,085 --> 00:00:47,415
He was undermining the director.
14
00:00:47,505 --> 00:00:49,465
…had crew walking on eggshells.
15
00:00:49,548 --> 00:00:51,048
We don't have Sigourney signed up.
16
00:00:51,134 --> 00:00:52,514
Do we really need her?
Yes.
17
00:00:52,594 --> 00:00:55,314
With high expectations…
This was his make-or-break film.
18
00:00:55,387 --> 00:00:57,268
…and low everything else.
19
00:00:57,347 --> 00:00:58,807
We used black garbage bags.
20
00:00:58,892 --> 00:01:01,442
What's wrong with this picture?
It'd take this madman…
21
00:01:01,518 --> 00:01:03,609
He was just furious.
…and his partner in crime…
22
00:01:03,688 --> 00:01:05,317
She's like a quiet assassin.
23
00:01:05,397 --> 00:01:07,278
…to pull it off.
24
00:01:07,358 --> 00:01:10,897
But in order to get this done,
the rogue captain of the ship…
25
00:01:10,986 --> 00:01:12,736
They didn't follow my design exactly.
26
00:01:12,822 --> 00:01:14,531
…was quick on the trigger.
27
00:01:14,615 --> 00:01:15,445
Fired.
Fired.
28
00:01:15,533 --> 00:01:16,412
"You're fired."
29
00:01:16,492 --> 00:01:18,453
Pushing his crew to breaking point.
30
00:01:18,536 --> 00:01:21,115
I'd wanna go home
and bang my head on a wall.
31
00:01:21,206 --> 00:01:22,365
The police came.
32
00:01:22,456 --> 00:01:24,167
They arrested him.
Tea break.
33
00:01:24,250 --> 00:01:26,590
Whether you love him…
34
00:01:26,668 --> 00:01:28,709
I'm glad he is the bastard that he is.
35
00:01:28,796 --> 00:01:29,626
…or think about…
36
00:01:29,713 --> 00:01:31,884
Knocking him fucking flat. Boom.
37
00:01:31,966 --> 00:01:35,045
…James Cameron and his crew
defied the odds
38
00:01:35,135 --> 00:01:38,805
to deliver one of the greatest
sequels of all time.
39
00:01:38,890 --> 00:01:39,930
It was very well-made.
40
00:01:40,015 --> 00:01:42,846
And this is the story of how they did it.
41
00:01:44,103 --> 00:01:46,694
Um, "Get away from her, you bitch."!
42
00:01:46,772 --> 00:01:48,362
"I'm back. Alien."
43
00:01:48,441 --> 00:01:51,651
This is the film industry.
If you don't like it…
44
00:01:51,735 --> 00:01:53,695
Game over!
…fuck off home now.
45
00:02:15,384 --> 00:02:19,344
These are The Movies That Made Us.
46
00:02:21,932 --> 00:02:22,932
Let's rock!
47
00:02:23,016 --> 00:02:24,137
Yeah!
48
00:02:24,227 --> 00:02:28,056
Aliens is the story
of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley,
49
00:02:28,147 --> 00:02:30,647
who, after sleeping in for a bit…
Fifty-seven years.
50
00:02:31,234 --> 00:02:32,243
…is called once again
51
00:02:32,317 --> 00:02:34,448
to face her worst nightmare.
No!
52
00:02:34,528 --> 00:02:35,609
All right. I'm in.
53
00:02:35,697 --> 00:02:37,366
Joining a motley band of…
54
00:02:37,448 --> 00:02:38,317
Badasses.
55
00:02:38,408 --> 00:02:40,867
…on their way to investigate
the mysterious silence
56
00:02:40,951 --> 00:02:42,372
of a distant human colony.
57
00:02:42,453 --> 00:02:43,293
Move it out!
58
00:02:43,371 --> 00:02:47,001
They find their fellow humans
playing host to a young family of…
59
00:02:47,125 --> 00:02:48,034
One of those things.
60
00:02:48,126 --> 00:02:51,545
…who were just looking
to impregnate or kill everyone.
61
00:02:51,628 --> 00:02:53,718
Get away from her, you bitch!
62
00:02:53,798 --> 00:02:56,218
They meet a little girl.
Here!
63
00:02:56,300 --> 00:02:58,010
And a big girl.
64
00:02:58,093 --> 00:03:00,973
But most of them just meet their maker,
65
00:03:01,055 --> 00:03:02,555
all before bedtime.
66
00:03:04,057 --> 00:03:08,687
But to learn just how this mega-studio
blockbuster summer hit came to be,
67
00:03:08,771 --> 00:03:11,360
well, that's a different cup of tea…
68
00:03:11,441 --> 00:03:13,820
…altogether. Just ask this gentleman.
69
00:03:13,901 --> 00:03:16,361
I'm Roger Corman, and I make films.
70
00:03:16,445 --> 00:03:18,156
But not just any films.
71
00:03:18,239 --> 00:03:21,989
For decades,
Roger Corman made special kinds of films.
72
00:03:22,075 --> 00:03:26,286
Big on excitement, small on budget.
73
00:03:26,372 --> 00:03:28,372
But he didn't do it alone.
74
00:03:28,457 --> 00:03:30,627
He willingly brought in
people without experience.
75
00:03:30,710 --> 00:03:32,960
Meaning, they'd learn on the job,
76
00:03:33,045 --> 00:03:36,876
and be wonderfully unaware
of standard industry working hours.
77
00:03:36,966 --> 00:03:39,336
They're working six, seven days a week.
78
00:03:39,426 --> 00:03:40,466
Long hours.
79
00:03:40,552 --> 00:03:43,182
And in return…
He would pay very little money.
80
00:03:43,264 --> 00:03:45,313
We can't offer much in payment.
No need.
81
00:03:45,390 --> 00:03:49,100
But he would give you a shot.
A shot to be a moviemaker.
82
00:03:49,187 --> 00:03:50,727
Emphasis very much on "be."
83
00:03:50,812 --> 00:03:54,612
A lot of major players got their start
doing B movies for Roger Corman.
84
00:03:55,109 --> 00:03:59,449
It was like a school of artists
all working on each other's work.
85
00:04:00,448 --> 00:04:04,288
Then, on a fateful day in 1977,
86
00:04:04,368 --> 00:04:06,788
Roger Corman's school of sorts
87
00:04:06,871 --> 00:04:10,121
received a new applicant,
named Gale Anne Hurd.
88
00:04:10,207 --> 00:04:11,538
Ready?
89
00:04:11,626 --> 00:04:14,795
Gale came down
from my old school, Stanford,
90
00:04:14,878 --> 00:04:17,129
with phenomenal recommendations.
91
00:04:17,214 --> 00:04:19,504
And for Gale, the feeling was mutual.
92
00:04:19,591 --> 00:04:22,721
No question.
This was the best film school possible.
93
00:04:22,803 --> 00:04:24,684
So, naturally at her interview…
94
00:04:24,764 --> 00:04:26,314
She was a little bit nervous.
95
00:04:26,391 --> 00:04:29,190
Roger said, "What do you see yourself
doing five years from now?"
96
00:04:29,269 --> 00:04:30,598
I said, "A producer."
97
00:04:30,687 --> 00:04:33,766
To be honest, I didn't even know
what a producer did.
98
00:04:33,898 --> 00:04:36,228
I hadn't even thought about that.
I wanted a job.
99
00:04:36,317 --> 00:04:37,896
And so…
He'd give you a shot.
100
00:04:37,985 --> 00:04:42,196
…Roger gave Gale hers,
in the form of her first assignment.
101
00:04:42,281 --> 00:04:43,951
Roger Corman had seen Star Wars
102
00:04:44,033 --> 00:04:46,452
and realized there was money
in them there hills.
103
00:04:46,536 --> 00:04:48,286
And he went and said,
104
00:04:48,370 --> 00:04:50,211
"I want to make a Star Wars film…
105
00:04:50,290 --> 00:04:53,459
…but on a Roger Corman budget."
106
00:04:55,127 --> 00:04:58,418
But Battle Beyond the Stars
was very slow to get moving.
107
00:04:58,505 --> 00:04:59,966
We were falling behind.
108
00:05:00,048 --> 00:05:01,338
What do you think we should do?
109
00:05:01,425 --> 00:05:06,005
I said to Gale, "Go down to the studio
and see what's going on."
110
00:05:06,096 --> 00:05:08,807
Do you think you could show me the ropes?
Ropes?
111
00:05:08,891 --> 00:05:09,891
What do you do here?
112
00:05:09,975 --> 00:05:12,516
As she walked in,
this blonde Canadian guy said…
113
00:05:12,603 --> 00:05:15,153
Maybe I could show you… the ropes.
114
00:05:15,230 --> 00:05:17,440
"I'll walk you around
and talk you through everything."
115
00:05:17,524 --> 00:05:20,355
And she thought,
"This guy's in charge. He's impressive."
116
00:05:20,444 --> 00:05:23,444
But she realized he wasn't.
He was just a lowly model builder.
117
00:05:23,531 --> 00:05:25,201
A lowly model builder
118
00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:27,372
named James Cameron.
119
00:05:27,451 --> 00:05:30,122
Who, like Roger Corman,
got pretty fired up
120
00:05:30,204 --> 00:05:32,584
the first time he saw this whole thing.
121
00:05:32,665 --> 00:05:33,875
He was just furious.
122
00:05:33,957 --> 00:05:36,127
You're fortunate
he doesn't blast you into pieces.
123
00:05:36,209 --> 00:05:38,629
He said, "That's the film
I should have been making."
124
00:05:38,713 --> 00:05:41,132
That was the point where he said,
"I've gotta get going."
125
00:05:41,215 --> 00:05:44,215
Throwing himself full force
into making a space movie,
126
00:05:44,302 --> 00:05:46,971
with plenty of space on his résumé…
127
00:05:47,055 --> 00:05:48,134
Corman was his way in.
128
00:05:48,221 --> 00:05:50,682
And Gale was his way up, telling Roger…
129
00:05:50,766 --> 00:05:53,137
"He is the guy you should look to."
130
00:05:53,226 --> 00:05:55,557
I'm really honest.
I call 'em as I see 'em.
131
00:05:55,646 --> 00:05:57,646
So, Roger called James Cameron.
132
00:05:57,731 --> 00:06:00,901
You know, he goes from being
a model maker to being an art director.
133
00:06:00,985 --> 00:06:01,814
Really?
134
00:06:01,903 --> 00:06:03,283
Head of everything visual.
135
00:06:03,362 --> 00:06:06,202
Including these walls
from Galaxy of Terror,
136
00:06:06,281 --> 00:06:08,622
which he made out of
Styrofoam food containers.
137
00:06:08,701 --> 00:06:10,500
Fascinating.
And…
138
00:06:10,577 --> 00:06:11,747
The wall looked great.
139
00:06:11,829 --> 00:06:13,288
But the best part…
140
00:06:13,372 --> 00:06:15,673
He did the whole thing for $12.
141
00:06:15,750 --> 00:06:18,089
Cameron's creative use
of the food containers
142
00:06:18,168 --> 00:06:21,009
marked the moment
his effects career hit the wall
143
00:06:21,088 --> 00:06:24,088
and James Cameron, the director, emerged.
144
00:06:24,175 --> 00:06:27,425
And his first movie was a sequel.
Piranha II.
145
00:06:27,512 --> 00:06:30,641
As he says, the greatest
flying-piranha movie ever made.
146
00:06:30,723 --> 00:06:33,103
Certainly one of them.
And with that kind of confidence,
147
00:06:33,183 --> 00:06:37,814
Cameron spread his wings and teamed up
with Gale Anne Hurd to write this script…
148
00:06:37,896 --> 00:06:39,146
The Terminator.
149
00:06:39,231 --> 00:06:42,072
…which started doing the rounds
at the studios.
150
00:06:42,151 --> 00:06:44,451
I had been given
the script of Terminator to read.
151
00:06:44,528 --> 00:06:48,199
I thought the script was really great.
And then when I met Jim,
152
00:06:48,281 --> 00:06:51,292
I thought, "Okay, this is the guy."
153
00:06:51,369 --> 00:06:55,249
But Larry Wilson wasn't looking
for a guy to make Terminator with.
154
00:06:55,331 --> 00:06:57,000
That's a different story altogether.
155
00:06:57,082 --> 00:06:58,082
I'll be back.
156
00:06:58,167 --> 00:07:01,916
But he was dispatched by his bosses,
David Giler and Walter Hill,
157
00:07:02,004 --> 00:07:05,264
to find a writer to help them
with a sequel they wanted to make.
158
00:07:05,341 --> 00:07:09,721
I was assigned to find
a writer for the Alien sequel.
159
00:07:09,803 --> 00:07:12,774
Walter Hill and David Giler
were the producers
160
00:07:12,848 --> 00:07:15,809
behind the Ridley Scott-directed,
Sigourney Weaver-starring…
161
00:07:15,893 --> 00:07:16,942
Yes.
162
00:07:17,019 --> 00:07:20,108
…sci-fi hit of the '70s, Alien, no S.
163
00:07:21,106 --> 00:07:24,067
And it made a pretty big imprint
on the industry.
164
00:07:24,151 --> 00:07:27,031
Here you had a dark,
frightening way of doing science fiction.
165
00:07:27,112 --> 00:07:28,822
And it just blew people's minds.
166
00:07:29,531 --> 00:07:31,701
A success they were hoping to duplicate.
167
00:07:31,783 --> 00:07:33,124
They already had this idea…
168
00:07:33,201 --> 00:07:35,752
Ripley goes back to the planet.
What?
169
00:07:35,829 --> 00:07:38,370
There are Marines.
Then some bullshit happens.
170
00:07:38,457 --> 00:07:39,457
Bullshit!
171
00:07:39,875 --> 00:07:42,745
And the rest, well, they had no idea.
172
00:07:42,836 --> 00:07:46,336
So they asked James to write a treatment
and outline the movie.
173
00:07:46,423 --> 00:07:49,264
Cameron's challenge
was how to top the first one.
174
00:07:49,343 --> 00:07:52,353
Any suggestions from you or Mother?
Actually, yes.
175
00:07:52,430 --> 00:07:56,019
Jim himself wrote this treatment
called Mother, way before Aliens.
176
00:07:56,100 --> 00:07:58,230
Because he had
a very strong-willed mother
177
00:07:58,310 --> 00:08:01,151
who encouraged his creativity,
where his father didn't as much.
178
00:08:01,230 --> 00:08:03,110
So, because of his mother,
179
00:08:03,190 --> 00:08:06,321
he started writing
very strong female characters.
180
00:08:06,401 --> 00:08:09,322
Equal to the male characters.
Maybe even more equal.
181
00:08:09,404 --> 00:08:11,564
And so Jim adapted Mother…
182
00:08:11,656 --> 00:08:14,036
To be about two mothers
defending their children.
183
00:08:14,117 --> 00:08:17,788
He goes, "That'd be an intense movie."
Creating the ultimate showdown.
184
00:08:17,872 --> 00:08:19,211
The battle of the mothers.
185
00:08:19,290 --> 00:08:22,839
And with that, Alien 2 was born.
186
00:08:22,918 --> 00:08:26,168
"Not Alien 2. This is Aliens."
Okay, yeah. Noted.
187
00:08:26,254 --> 00:08:29,834
Which brings us to the first thing
you never say to James Cameron.
188
00:08:29,925 --> 00:08:31,755
It was Aliens and not Alien 2.
189
00:08:31,843 --> 00:08:35,264
He would just get bent out of shape
when somebody would say Alien 2.
190
00:08:35,347 --> 00:08:37,888
"No, it's Aliens."
All right, suit yourself.
191
00:08:37,975 --> 00:08:41,804
So, James Cameron hands in
the pages for Aliens, plural,
192
00:08:41,895 --> 00:08:44,566
which is where his involvement
may well have ended.
193
00:08:44,649 --> 00:08:48,948
Because suddenly, he found himself
very busy making The Terminator,
194
00:08:49,028 --> 00:08:51,528
which he directed and made
with his now partner.
195
00:08:51,614 --> 00:08:55,624
Cameron and Hurd are joined at the hip.
So, they're a force to be reckoned with.
196
00:08:55,701 --> 00:08:58,750
As was The Terminator,
in every conceivable way.
197
00:08:58,828 --> 00:09:01,499
It ended up being an enormous success.
198
00:09:01,581 --> 00:09:03,081
Got great reviews.
199
00:09:03,167 --> 00:09:04,836
Which led these two producers
200
00:09:04,918 --> 00:09:07,339
to not only call James back
to finish the script,
201
00:09:07,421 --> 00:09:09,801
but they asked him
to do something else as well.
202
00:09:09,881 --> 00:09:12,011
I remember he came
and just bear-hugged me,
203
00:09:12,092 --> 00:09:14,302
and he said, "I'm directing Alien 2."
204
00:09:14,386 --> 00:09:16,506
I wouldn't say that.
Okay. Sorry.
205
00:09:16,596 --> 00:09:17,596
It's not Alien 2.
206
00:09:17,639 --> 00:09:18,639
I'm sorry. Aliens.
207
00:09:18,682 --> 00:09:20,562
So now they needed a studio
208
00:09:20,643 --> 00:09:23,692
to back this James Cameron-directed
Alien sequel.
209
00:09:23,770 --> 00:09:26,770
And they landed here
where 20th Century Fox said…
210
00:09:26,856 --> 00:09:28,226
They have to have a producer.
211
00:09:28,317 --> 00:09:29,817
Well, look no further.
212
00:09:29,902 --> 00:09:33,491
Hurd already produced Terminator
but Fox is skeptical,
213
00:09:33,572 --> 00:09:37,743
and brings her in, basically, to interview
as if she were fresh off the bus.
214
00:09:37,826 --> 00:09:42,417
They asked me, "How can a little girl
like you produce a big movie like this?"
215
00:09:42,498 --> 00:09:44,457
She is quite peeved.
216
00:09:44,542 --> 00:09:46,591
I didn't blink. I just said,
217
00:09:46,668 --> 00:09:49,959
"Here are some references.
Why don't you give them a call?"
218
00:09:50,047 --> 00:09:52,167
So, Fox did and of course…
219
00:09:52,258 --> 00:09:56,008
Roger Corman and other producers
attest to her capabilities.
220
00:09:56,095 --> 00:09:59,424
So, with these high praises,
they turned off the searchlights.
221
00:09:59,514 --> 00:10:02,345
Fox is satisfied and says,
"Okay, you can produce."
222
00:10:02,434 --> 00:10:04,764
But after hearing
what else Fox had to say,
223
00:10:04,854 --> 00:10:06,903
the feeling wasn't mutual.
224
00:10:06,980 --> 00:10:09,280
They were close
to getting the green light.
225
00:10:09,357 --> 00:10:11,778
But they were missing one tiny detail.
226
00:10:11,860 --> 00:10:15,490
Fox confessed to Cameron
that nobody's talked to Sigourney Weaver.
227
00:10:15,572 --> 00:10:17,072
What?
Hang about.
228
00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:20,197
Sigourney Weaver didn't know
they were making a sequel?
229
00:10:20,286 --> 00:10:21,365
I know nothing.
230
00:10:21,453 --> 00:10:22,793
Nothing?
Nothing.
231
00:10:22,871 --> 00:10:23,711
Bullshit!
232
00:10:23,788 --> 00:10:27,458
As in the Sigourney Weaver
that starred in Alien, singular?
233
00:10:27,543 --> 00:10:28,383
Yes.
234
00:10:28,461 --> 00:10:31,510
Cameron was assuming Sigourney Weaver
would come back as a star.
235
00:10:31,588 --> 00:10:35,129
Fox, on the other hand…
They're like, "Do we really need her?"
236
00:10:35,216 --> 00:10:38,846
He said, "The whole movie is based
around her character. Are you crazy?"
237
00:10:38,928 --> 00:10:42,928
He had a picture of Weaver on his desk
the entire time he was writing the script.
238
00:10:43,017 --> 00:10:47,226
So, James Cameron went rogue
and just sent the script to Sigourney.
239
00:10:47,312 --> 00:10:49,822
I suddenly get this fat script,
240
00:10:49,899 --> 00:10:54,028
and I just couldn't believe,
since Ripley was on every page,
241
00:10:54,611 --> 00:10:57,822
that no one had even bothered
to mention it to me.
242
00:10:57,907 --> 00:11:01,537
But after she read every page…
I found the script so moving.
243
00:11:01,619 --> 00:11:04,749
It was such a brilliant
next stage for Ripley.
244
00:11:04,830 --> 00:11:08,500
I thought,
"Man, this is just a great fucking story."
245
00:11:08,583 --> 00:11:11,423
So, it's safe to say
Sigourney was interested?
246
00:11:11,504 --> 00:11:12,923
Yeah.
So we got a film, yeah?
247
00:11:13,004 --> 00:11:17,384
No. Fox, who were very concerned
about how much this is going to cost,
248
00:11:17,467 --> 00:11:18,888
they just don't do anything.
249
00:11:18,969 --> 00:11:20,599
Did IQs just drop sharply?
250
00:11:20,679 --> 00:11:23,269
So, James and Gale…
Issue an ultimatum.
251
00:11:23,349 --> 00:11:26,019
"We're going to Hawaii."
During which they actually get married.
252
00:11:26,101 --> 00:11:29,152
They made the solemn vow…
253
00:11:29,230 --> 00:11:31,519
"If you haven't hired Weaver
by the time we're back…"
254
00:11:31,606 --> 00:11:33,527
You can just kiss all that goodbye!
255
00:11:33,609 --> 00:11:35,109
"…we're off the film."
256
00:11:35,193 --> 00:11:38,244
So, having outfoxed Fox,
they decided finally…
257
00:11:38,322 --> 00:11:40,322
…to reach out to Sigourney Weaver.
258
00:11:40,408 --> 00:11:42,158
This is the way the movie business works.
259
00:11:42,243 --> 00:11:45,003
The talent is kind of an afterthought,
260
00:11:45,078 --> 00:11:47,369
but also Hollywood needs us.
261
00:11:47,456 --> 00:11:48,456
Ripley, we have to talk.
262
00:11:48,499 --> 00:11:51,209
She said, "You got a script, a director,
but you don't have me?"
263
00:11:51,293 --> 00:11:52,673
I don't believe this.
264
00:11:52,753 --> 00:11:57,052
Pretty funny that they'd gone
to all that work and forgot the actor.
265
00:11:57,133 --> 00:11:59,893
And now you want me to go back out there?
266
00:11:59,969 --> 00:12:02,009
So she was able to get a really good deal.
267
00:12:02,096 --> 00:12:03,556
She gets a million dollars.
268
00:12:03,639 --> 00:12:04,639
All right, I'm in.
269
00:12:04,682 --> 00:12:07,272
Fox realized they screwed themselves.
270
00:12:07,350 --> 00:12:10,270
But that's Hollywood for you, of course.
271
00:12:10,354 --> 00:12:12,153
So, with an expensive movie star
272
00:12:12,230 --> 00:12:14,980
and an ambitious,
expensive-looking script…
273
00:12:15,067 --> 00:12:19,027
Fox thinks the movie's gonna cost
something like $35 million.
274
00:12:19,113 --> 00:12:21,993
An amount they had
zero intention of spending.
275
00:12:22,073 --> 00:12:25,453
But this was a battle
that James and Gale had had before.
276
00:12:25,536 --> 00:12:29,166
Battle Beyond the Stars, and that was
the ultimate low-budget experience.
277
00:12:29,248 --> 00:12:31,998
But this time, it wasn't a wall
of takeout containers
278
00:12:32,084 --> 00:12:33,384
that saved the budget.
279
00:12:33,461 --> 00:12:36,211
They found another way
to shave off a few pounds.
280
00:12:36,297 --> 00:12:39,927
They could shoot the movie in England.
281
00:12:40,009 --> 00:12:41,719
Basically, you get a financial break.
282
00:12:41,802 --> 00:12:43,851
So, with slimmed-down budget in hand,
283
00:12:43,928 --> 00:12:47,019
Gale marched into the offices at Fox
and suggested…
284
00:12:47,099 --> 00:12:51,188
"We can do it for something
like 15.5 million."
285
00:12:51,269 --> 00:12:55,149
And that massive
$20 million discount made Fox…
286
00:12:55,231 --> 00:12:57,361
Happy enough to green-light the movie.
287
00:12:58,027 --> 00:13:00,647
And with that, it was all systems go.
288
00:13:00,738 --> 00:13:04,118
But 15.5 million was quite a lot lower
289
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,740
than other effects-heavy
movies of the '80s.
290
00:13:06,826 --> 00:13:09,616
Got a bad feeling about this drop.
So did Fox.
291
00:13:09,705 --> 00:13:10,615
Rough air ahead.
292
00:13:10,706 --> 00:13:14,495
Gale and Jim, they were
on the hook with the studio
293
00:13:14,585 --> 00:13:16,455
for any overages on that movie.
294
00:13:16,544 --> 00:13:19,254
But James and Gale
were ready to risk it all
295
00:13:19,340 --> 00:13:21,429
as they flew, probably coach, to England.
296
00:13:21,509 --> 00:13:24,349
Jim Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd
go off to London.
297
00:13:27,306 --> 00:13:28,306
…would be casting.
298
00:13:28,349 --> 00:13:31,849
With Sigourney already signed on
as Ripley, they'd need…
299
00:13:31,936 --> 00:13:34,265
The team of commandos.
Who travel with her.
300
00:13:34,355 --> 00:13:37,524
And to find Ripley's
male co-star, Corporal Hicks…
301
00:13:37,607 --> 00:13:39,187
Somebody wake up Hicks.
302
00:13:39,275 --> 00:13:43,275
They first interviewed
the very talented James Remar.
303
00:13:43,364 --> 00:13:45,073
Jim and I hit it off immediately.
304
00:13:45,157 --> 00:13:48,326
So, on the strength of the interview,
he hired me to play Hicks.
305
00:13:48,409 --> 00:13:49,289
Well done.
306
00:13:49,370 --> 00:13:51,539
Next, to lock in Hudson.
Lock 'em in, Hudson.
307
00:13:51,621 --> 00:13:53,831
And for that, Bill Paxton was…
308
00:13:53,915 --> 00:13:57,125
Ready to get it on.
Which makes sense, 'cause…
309
00:13:57,211 --> 00:13:58,961
Bill Paxton was a set builder.
310
00:13:59,046 --> 00:14:00,966
…Bill had worked with James and Gale
311
00:14:01,048 --> 00:14:04,217
ever since their days
back at Roger Corman's studio.
312
00:14:04,301 --> 00:14:08,100
Bill had been working in art department
for Battle Beyond the Stars.
313
00:14:08,179 --> 00:14:10,220
Then, of course, he was in Terminator.
314
00:14:10,307 --> 00:14:14,346
With Paxton bringing the laughs
and, if needed, a nail gun,
315
00:14:14,436 --> 00:14:17,015
it was time to start flexing muscles.
316
00:14:17,105 --> 00:14:19,566
And for the role of Private Vasquez,
317
00:14:19,649 --> 00:14:21,070
they cast Rachel McLeish,
318
00:14:21,150 --> 00:14:24,740
who started throwing her weight around
about the unwholesome script.
319
00:14:24,822 --> 00:14:28,331
She insisted that
she would not be able to swear,
320
00:14:28,408 --> 00:14:29,869
and it was against her religion.
321
00:14:29,951 --> 00:14:32,121
Which turned out to be an answered prayer.
322
00:14:32,203 --> 00:14:34,163
Thank you, Jesus.
For… who are you?
323
00:14:34,248 --> 00:14:35,918
Who am I?
324
00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:39,129
I'm Jenette Goldstein.
And before she was Vasquez,
325
00:14:39,211 --> 00:14:42,260
Jenette Goldstein was
an unknown actor in London.
326
00:14:42,338 --> 00:14:44,428
And when she came in to audition…
327
00:14:44,508 --> 00:14:49,307
Jim and Gale really wanted
the physique to be strong.
328
00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:52,389
I was like, "You know, look at that."
329
00:14:52,474 --> 00:14:56,813
But despite Jenette's muscles,
it was James Cameron who had to flex his
330
00:14:56,895 --> 00:14:58,436
to get the studio to agree.
331
00:14:58,522 --> 00:15:04,072
He said, "This is who I want."
So, I'm glad he is the bastard that he is.
332
00:15:06,488 --> 00:15:09,408
As for Vasquez's buddy, Drake…
You're just too bad.
333
00:15:09,490 --> 00:15:11,451
…they tapped Mark Rolston.
Me.
334
00:15:11,534 --> 00:15:14,534
For Lt. Gorman, they asked…
William Hope.
335
00:15:14,621 --> 00:15:15,542
What's the question?
336
00:15:15,623 --> 00:15:17,582
Ricco Ross was Private Frost.
You know.
337
00:15:17,666 --> 00:15:18,956
I think we got something here.
338
00:15:19,043 --> 00:15:22,003
And Paul Reiser played Burke.
339
00:15:22,671 --> 00:15:24,091
Jim wanted somebody
340
00:15:24,173 --> 00:15:27,472
that you wouldn't think
they're gonna turn out to be…
341
00:15:27,551 --> 00:15:30,471
This rat fuck son of a bitch.
…the antagonist.
342
00:15:30,553 --> 00:15:33,063
Let's not make snap judgments, please.
343
00:15:33,139 --> 00:15:36,940
And speaking of slimy,
they went looking for a Newt.
344
00:15:37,019 --> 00:15:41,438
Newt is a haunting presence
throughout the movie.
345
00:15:41,523 --> 00:15:43,903
I think she's very thoughtful and scared.
346
00:15:49,572 --> 00:15:51,163
It's not quite as good, but…
347
00:15:51,741 --> 00:15:54,292
I am Carrie Henn,
and I was Newt in Aliens.
348
00:15:54,370 --> 00:15:57,500
And to find this
American-accented girl in Britain…
349
00:15:57,581 --> 00:15:58,870
I had an idea.
350
00:15:58,957 --> 00:16:03,457
Travel around the U.S. Air Force bases
that are scattered all over the country.
351
00:16:03,544 --> 00:16:06,965
Sarah Jackson was coming around
taking Polaroid pictures of us.
352
00:16:07,548 --> 00:16:12,009
There was something so undeniably right
about Carrie Henn for this role.
353
00:16:12,096 --> 00:16:14,716
And with that, the film was finally cast.
354
00:16:14,807 --> 00:16:15,886
Well, at least…
355
00:16:15,975 --> 00:16:16,975
Mostly.
356
00:16:17,058 --> 00:16:19,599
Because if your movie is named Aliens,
357
00:16:19,687 --> 00:16:20,976
you'd need aliens.
358
00:16:21,062 --> 00:16:23,442
So, James got the guy who helped him on…
359
00:16:23,524 --> 00:16:24,903
The Terminator.
360
00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:27,323
Stan Winston ran an effects shop
361
00:16:27,403 --> 00:16:31,533
where thirsty, talented,
very inexperienced artists
362
00:16:31,615 --> 00:16:33,865
could pull their socks up and get to work.
363
00:16:33,951 --> 00:16:36,790
And they were about
to have a lot of work to do.
364
00:16:36,870 --> 00:16:41,039
I remember Stan explaining that we were
going to be doing the sequel to Alien.
365
00:16:41,125 --> 00:16:44,205
When we heard Aliens, we just like…
366
00:16:45,211 --> 00:16:47,091
Yes, tough act to follow.
367
00:16:47,172 --> 00:16:49,631
But as they wrap their heads
around the script…
368
00:16:49,716 --> 00:16:52,047
It's about as thick as a phone book.
369
00:16:52,135 --> 00:16:55,596
Because in comparison
to the single alien in Alien,
370
00:16:55,681 --> 00:16:58,431
this script was by no means Alien 2.
371
00:16:58,517 --> 00:17:00,636
What is this, like, 20 aliens?
372
00:17:00,727 --> 00:17:04,188
Aliens, plural,
would live up to its name.
373
00:17:04,272 --> 00:17:08,282
And not just hiding and peaking,
but crawling at you along the ceiling.
374
00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:11,240
He wanted to do it
without any stop-motion animation.
375
00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:12,740
He wanted to do it all live.
376
00:17:12,823 --> 00:17:16,163
Before they hatched their plan,
they had a question.
377
00:17:16,242 --> 00:17:17,452
Who's laying these eggs?
378
00:17:17,536 --> 00:17:20,865
Because Cameron's script
involved a brand new monster.
379
00:17:20,955 --> 00:17:22,915
The egg-laying alien queen.
380
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,789
You go from drawings,
and it looks like it's gonna work,
381
00:17:25,877 --> 00:17:28,837
but how do you really know?
Well, you could just build it.
382
00:17:28,922 --> 00:17:31,051
We wanted to mock it up full-scale.
383
00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:33,143
We did what we called the Trash Bag Queen.
384
00:17:33,218 --> 00:17:34,387
Arms.
385
00:17:34,470 --> 00:17:37,509
Stan Winston and the team
constructed a test queen
386
00:17:37,597 --> 00:17:39,478
in the parking lot at Stan's studio.
387
00:17:39,557 --> 00:17:42,268
We used foam core and black garbage bags.
388
00:17:42,352 --> 00:17:46,942
It was just a quick and dirty look
at how you can put two stuntmen
389
00:17:47,023 --> 00:17:50,193
inside a queen-sized body
and have them operate arms.
390
00:17:50,277 --> 00:17:52,567
Just like this.
Kinda like this.
391
00:17:52,653 --> 00:17:53,864
You got chest hands.
392
00:17:53,947 --> 00:17:55,866
Pivot the body
back and forth a little.
393
00:17:55,949 --> 00:17:58,538
And as the Trash Bag Queen came to life,
394
00:17:58,618 --> 00:18:00,538
they came to two conclusions.
395
00:18:00,621 --> 00:18:02,961
It looks like the worst parade float ever.
396
00:18:03,039 --> 00:18:04,630
But more importantly…
397
00:18:04,708 --> 00:18:06,708
This is gonna work.
That's a cut.
398
00:18:06,794 --> 00:18:09,173
So, Stan and his young team packed up
399
00:18:09,253 --> 00:18:11,223
and joined production in England at…
400
00:18:11,298 --> 00:18:12,508
Pinewood Studios.
401
00:18:12,590 --> 00:18:16,431
And not only did Pinewood
come with a rich cinematic history…
402
00:18:17,011 --> 00:18:19,892
I think a cup of tea's in order.
…it came with a crew.
403
00:18:19,972 --> 00:18:24,653
My name is John Richardson.
I was the special effects supervisor.
404
00:18:24,728 --> 00:18:28,268
They also landed top-shelf
British talent like cinematographer…
405
00:18:28,356 --> 00:18:29,186
Dick Bush.
And…
406
00:18:29,273 --> 00:18:31,534
Derek Cracknell,
the country's best first AD.
407
00:18:31,609 --> 00:18:34,819
And when the British crew
met the James Cameron…
408
00:18:34,904 --> 00:18:37,734
I didn't know who Jim Cameron was.
I mean, it meant nothing.
409
00:18:38,826 --> 00:18:41,615
The English crew was wondering,
why isn't Ridley Scott here directing?
410
00:18:41,702 --> 00:18:44,212
They thought of Alien as a British movie.
411
00:18:44,288 --> 00:18:48,288
And, you know, "if anyone should be
doing a sequel, it should be Ridley."
412
00:18:48,376 --> 00:18:52,297
"Who are these Americans to come over here
and think they know what's best?"
413
00:18:52,381 --> 00:18:56,221
Well, he's actually Canadian.
So, who knows what's best now?
414
00:18:56,300 --> 00:18:57,681
They didn't know who Cameron was.
415
00:18:58,261 --> 00:18:59,811
Or that he did this.
416
00:18:59,887 --> 00:19:01,268
The Terminator.
417
00:19:01,347 --> 00:19:04,557
Terminator was out in the United States,
but it wasn't out in England yet.
418
00:19:04,643 --> 00:19:06,772
Are you saying it's from the future?
419
00:19:06,854 --> 00:19:09,364
But James Cameron knew what to do.
420
00:19:09,439 --> 00:19:11,818
He scheduled a couple
of showings for the crew,
421
00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:14,950
so they could see that he wasn't
just some schlub who'd showed up.
422
00:19:15,028 --> 00:19:16,948
And when the crew showed up…
423
00:19:17,780 --> 00:19:19,740
They didn't show up.
424
00:19:19,825 --> 00:19:21,444
Fuck you, asshole.
425
00:19:21,535 --> 00:19:23,244
And they never went to see it.
426
00:19:23,327 --> 00:19:26,077
It would have been much easier
if they'd seen the film
427
00:19:26,164 --> 00:19:28,325
and they went,
"Man, this guy is great."
428
00:19:28,416 --> 00:19:29,936
They didn't wanna know about this guy.
429
00:19:30,001 --> 00:19:32,801
They were kind of boycotting him already.
430
00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,799
Clearly, there were
some cultural differences.
431
00:19:35,883 --> 00:19:37,093
Foremost amongst them…
432
00:19:37,175 --> 00:19:38,756
You take a break for tea.
433
00:19:38,844 --> 00:19:42,433
Filming with the British crew
meant not only a tax break…
434
00:19:42,513 --> 00:19:44,473
They had a tea break.
Twice a day.
435
00:19:44,557 --> 00:19:45,927
Everything stops for tea.
436
00:19:46,018 --> 00:19:47,188
"It's teatime, mates."
437
00:19:47,269 --> 00:19:50,269
Teatime was my most favorite time ever.
438
00:19:50,355 --> 00:19:53,724
I absolutely loved it.
I know not everybody did.
439
00:19:53,817 --> 00:19:56,737
Yes, James Cameron didn't like tea.
440
00:19:56,819 --> 00:20:00,529
"Fuck this taking-a-break-for-tea.
We have a movie to make. Let's make it."
441
00:20:00,615 --> 00:20:02,865
And this distaste for time-wasting
442
00:20:02,951 --> 00:20:06,500
had been brewing
in James Cameron since, well…
443
00:20:07,079 --> 00:20:09,789
He was coming from
the Roger Corman School of Filmmaking.
444
00:20:09,875 --> 00:20:13,045
Where the school motto was…
We're all in this together. We'll work…
445
00:20:13,127 --> 00:20:14,708
Six, seven days a week.
446
00:20:14,796 --> 00:20:15,955
Long hours.
447
00:20:16,048 --> 00:20:17,667
You can't be dawdling around.
448
00:20:17,758 --> 00:20:19,298
After work and weekends.
449
00:20:19,384 --> 00:20:22,683
The British…
I said, "You seen the new schedule?"
450
00:20:22,762 --> 00:20:24,512
…weren't too keen on those hours.
451
00:20:24,597 --> 00:20:28,137
"This is a job.
Don't expect me to kill myself for you."
452
00:20:28,227 --> 00:20:31,606
And it turns out,
they had their own school motto.
453
00:20:31,688 --> 00:20:33,397
This is the film industry.
454
00:20:33,481 --> 00:20:34,862
If you don't like it,
455
00:20:35,442 --> 00:20:37,112
fuck off home now.
456
00:20:37,193 --> 00:20:39,534
So James Cameron called in his producer
457
00:20:39,613 --> 00:20:42,492
in order to, shall we say,
"Hurd" people along.
458
00:20:42,574 --> 00:20:43,703
Gale Anne Hurd.
Right?
459
00:20:43,784 --> 00:20:45,493
Right.
Yep.
460
00:20:45,576 --> 00:20:48,707
Gale is like a quiet assassin.
461
00:20:48,788 --> 00:20:50,788
It was her job to be the bad guy.
462
00:20:50,874 --> 00:20:53,463
Also known as…
"The pixie with the iron ax."
463
00:20:54,627 --> 00:20:56,458
She always felt like Athena to me.
464
00:20:56,546 --> 00:20:58,915
Like a four-star general, right?
465
00:20:59,007 --> 00:21:00,626
Right again, which is lucky,
466
00:21:00,717 --> 00:21:04,596
because Gale Anne Hurd
was preparing for war with the first AD.
467
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,269
And Derek Cracknell was the real deal.
468
00:21:07,348 --> 00:21:08,848
He was very good at his job.
469
00:21:08,933 --> 00:21:10,773
And he runs a set brilliantly.
470
00:21:10,852 --> 00:21:14,311
And Gale Anne Hurd…
She was just married to the director.
471
00:21:14,397 --> 00:21:17,647
You know, people would say,
"She's married to the director,
472
00:21:17,733 --> 00:21:19,534
so that's how she got the job."
473
00:21:19,611 --> 00:21:21,111
"Who's really producing the movie?"
474
00:21:21,195 --> 00:21:23,865
They were not respecting
Gale Anne Hurd as a producer.
475
00:21:23,949 --> 00:21:25,548
The British crew more or less hated her.
476
00:21:25,616 --> 00:21:28,377
Why don't you put her in charge?
You better start dealing with it.
477
00:21:28,412 --> 00:21:31,832
She pressured them
not to have teatime, to work extra hours.
478
00:21:31,914 --> 00:21:33,234
She said, "If you don't shape up,
479
00:21:33,291 --> 00:21:35,592
we're gonna fire the entire crew
and hire a new one."
480
00:21:35,669 --> 00:21:37,048
I'm sick of your bullshit.
481
00:21:37,128 --> 00:21:39,669
But when she walked on the set,
she meant business.
482
00:21:39,756 --> 00:21:43,756
You know, all the joking about
the newlywed thing stopped pretty quickly.
483
00:21:43,844 --> 00:21:47,894
And so the crew came together,
reluctantly, to build sets.
484
00:21:47,972 --> 00:21:50,643
But it was the cast
who'd already come together
485
00:21:50,726 --> 00:21:52,556
to build camaraderie.
486
00:21:52,644 --> 00:21:54,604
Get on and get in line!
Go!
487
00:21:54,688 --> 00:21:57,067
Because weeks
before the first camera rolled…
488
00:21:57,148 --> 00:22:00,648
James Cameron had them go through
a kind of boot camp with ex-SAS guys.
489
00:22:00,736 --> 00:22:01,566
One, two, three!
490
00:22:01,653 --> 00:22:05,952
We had two weeks to go
through training and meet each other.
491
00:22:06,032 --> 00:22:09,873
As the Marines completed boot camp…
I would prefer to call it rehearsal,
492
00:22:09,952 --> 00:22:12,373
because we're not training
to be real soldiers.
493
00:22:12,455 --> 00:22:15,665
We're training to be actors
that look like they hold a gun right.
494
00:22:15,750 --> 00:22:17,790
And to help them hone their craft,
495
00:22:17,877 --> 00:22:19,917
James Cameron encouraged just that.
496
00:22:20,005 --> 00:22:21,005
Crafts.
497
00:22:21,423 --> 00:22:23,972
Cameron leads them to a room
where they have their armor.
498
00:22:24,050 --> 00:22:26,351
"You guys are all
personalizing all of your gear."
499
00:22:26,428 --> 00:22:28,428
"Make them seem
as individual as possible."
500
00:22:28,512 --> 00:22:31,272
And that inspired me
to do that lock with the hasp.
501
00:22:31,349 --> 00:22:33,269
You know, I painted a red heart on it.
502
00:22:33,352 --> 00:22:35,942
Hang about. That's not James Remar.
503
00:22:36,020 --> 00:22:39,480
Well, more on that later,
because it was time to start shooting.
504
00:22:39,566 --> 00:22:42,895
The very first scene is the line
of all the Marines
505
00:22:42,986 --> 00:22:45,776
approaching the atmosphere
processing station.
506
00:22:45,864 --> 00:22:48,374
And as shooting began, Jenette took aim…
507
00:22:48,450 --> 00:22:49,279
Let's rock!
508
00:22:49,367 --> 00:22:50,867
…and fired her co-star.
509
00:22:50,951 --> 00:22:52,582
What?
No, she didn't fire Mark.
510
00:22:52,662 --> 00:22:55,001
My co-star was my smart gun.
511
00:22:55,082 --> 00:22:58,751
In the movie, Jenette's
character wielded this futuristic weapon.
512
00:22:58,835 --> 00:23:01,125
I'm strapped into this beast.
513
00:23:01,212 --> 00:23:04,093
And so was Mark.
It was a Steadicam harness
514
00:23:04,173 --> 00:23:06,723
attached with a real
anti-aircraft machine gun.
515
00:23:06,801 --> 00:23:09,392
And the very first time they strapped in…
516
00:23:09,471 --> 00:23:13,560
We put the guns out and the whole harness
flew right off of our chests.
517
00:23:13,642 --> 00:23:15,602
And Cameron just looked at it and went,
518
00:23:16,269 --> 00:23:17,269
"Gaffer tape."
519
00:23:17,770 --> 00:23:24,320
Every single day, Jenette and I had to be
gaffer-taped into the Steadicam harness.
520
00:23:24,903 --> 00:23:27,913
We were told, "Please try
not to have to go to the bathroom."
521
00:23:27,989 --> 00:23:29,318
A real nightmare scenario.
522
00:23:29,407 --> 00:23:31,788
At night, I'd wake up
thinking I had the thing on.
523
00:23:32,786 --> 00:23:36,155
I would dream that
I was still inside the Steadicam unit.
524
00:23:36,248 --> 00:23:40,337
Like a roll of gaffer tape…
We made this incredible bond.
525
00:23:40,419 --> 00:23:42,999
This is why Mark and I
are best friends now.
526
00:23:43,087 --> 00:23:45,877
While some were joined
at the hip by gaffer tape,
527
00:23:45,965 --> 00:23:49,925
the Brits and the Americans
were lacking any adhesion whatsoever.
528
00:23:50,010 --> 00:23:51,931
After the first five days of shooting,
529
00:23:52,012 --> 00:23:55,272
there's a fair amount of resentment
and things are not going well.
530
00:23:55,349 --> 00:23:57,019
When I'd arrived at the studio,
531
00:23:57,102 --> 00:23:59,192
there would be a line of people
532
00:23:59,270 --> 00:24:01,570
outside my door with complaints,
533
00:24:01,647 --> 00:24:03,107
or even threatening to quit.
534
00:24:03,191 --> 00:24:04,611
And as for James Cameron…
535
00:24:04,692 --> 00:24:06,992
He locked horns with Dick Bush, the DP.
536
00:24:07,069 --> 00:24:09,779
…who had his own thoughts
on how to light the set.
537
00:24:09,865 --> 00:24:11,694
In just about every instance,
538
00:24:11,782 --> 00:24:15,083
Dick Bush would do the opposite
of what Jim asked him to do.
539
00:24:15,162 --> 00:24:17,501
Which wasn't a bright idea.
No.
540
00:24:17,580 --> 00:24:21,421
And also the second thing
you never say to James Cameron.
541
00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:23,300
That is mistake number one.
542
00:24:23,377 --> 00:24:25,167
Actually, it's number two,
543
00:24:25,255 --> 00:24:27,795
which is also kind of what Dick Bush
found himself in.
544
00:24:27,883 --> 00:24:29,432
They agreed to disagree.
545
00:24:29,509 --> 00:24:31,298
Which is the British way of saying…
546
00:24:31,385 --> 00:24:34,175
Gone.
Or as it's called in the business:
547
00:24:34,263 --> 00:24:35,273
fired.
548
00:24:35,891 --> 00:24:37,770
With their lighting problem solved,
549
00:24:37,851 --> 00:24:40,310
mood around Pinewood Studios was brighter.
550
00:24:40,394 --> 00:24:42,515
Maybe we got them demoralized.
Shh!
551
00:24:42,605 --> 00:24:44,645
With help from Bill Paxton, of course.
552
00:24:44,732 --> 00:24:46,442
You secure that shit, Hudson.
553
00:24:46,526 --> 00:24:47,986
-He was a real connector.
554
00:24:48,068 --> 00:24:51,868
He was like my big brother on set.
They had a table for me with art supplies.
555
00:24:51,948 --> 00:24:53,028
Don't touch that.
556
00:24:53,115 --> 00:24:55,286
He would help me
cut the papers and glue them.
557
00:24:55,367 --> 00:24:56,238
Yeah.
558
00:24:56,327 --> 00:25:00,827
Spending time especially with
Paul Reiser and Bill Paxton between takes,
559
00:25:00,915 --> 00:25:03,415
it didn't allow me
to concentrate as much as I wanted to,
560
00:25:03,501 --> 00:25:05,842
because they were two
of the funniest guys you could meet.
561
00:25:05,921 --> 00:25:07,300
That wasn't funny, man.
562
00:25:07,380 --> 00:25:09,339
Everyone was having a high old time,
563
00:25:09,423 --> 00:25:12,223
including leading actor James Remar.
564
00:25:12,801 --> 00:25:16,682
I got into hash, and there was some
local heroin that I decided to try.
565
00:25:17,182 --> 00:25:21,102
Which was a terrible idea,
because London PD found out.
566
00:25:21,185 --> 00:25:23,855
Word got out because of the people
I was associating with.
567
00:25:23,939 --> 00:25:27,189
The police came,
and it was a very, very serious thing.
568
00:25:27,275 --> 00:25:29,734
They went into my hotel room
and they found my drugs.
569
00:25:29,818 --> 00:25:30,818
They arrested him.
570
00:25:30,862 --> 00:25:33,912
I made a decision,
and it was wrong.
571
00:25:33,990 --> 00:25:38,039
It wasn't when you got a slap on the wrist
and sent to rehab. They got rid of you.
572
00:25:38,118 --> 00:25:40,999
So, for the second time
on this young production…
573
00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:42,080
Remar was…
574
00:25:42,832 --> 00:25:44,422
"You're fired."
575
00:25:44,500 --> 00:25:46,590
Jamie was out.
You can count me out.
576
00:25:46,670 --> 00:25:50,420
I got goose bumps talking about this,
because Walter Hill gave me my career.
577
00:25:50,507 --> 00:25:53,676
I didn't just screw myself, you know.
I screwed other people.
578
00:25:53,759 --> 00:25:56,049
Suddenly, with scenes already shot,
579
00:25:56,136 --> 00:25:58,967
Aliens had to recast a lead actor.
580
00:25:59,057 --> 00:26:01,517
And we just kind of went, "What?"
581
00:26:01,601 --> 00:26:02,891
With the clock ticking,
582
00:26:02,978 --> 00:26:06,518
James Cameron sought out
classic British actor, Mr. Bean.
583
00:26:06,605 --> 00:26:08,435
Now!
584
00:26:08,525 --> 00:26:10,815
Not you, sweetie.
! Right.
585
00:26:10,902 --> 00:26:12,612
Hang about. Michael Biehn…
586
00:26:12,695 --> 00:26:14,276
Right.
Right.
587
00:26:14,364 --> 00:26:15,703
…who he'd worked with on…
588
00:26:15,781 --> 00:26:19,082
That Terminator is out there.
Yes, The Terminator.
589
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:20,700
Right. Michael was at home.
590
00:26:20,787 --> 00:26:24,166
And Cameron told him…
Jump on a plane. You're Hicks.
591
00:26:24,249 --> 00:26:26,709
All of a sudden, there's another actor.
592
00:26:26,792 --> 00:26:28,962
Michael was there within two days.
593
00:26:29,045 --> 00:26:30,414
And as Corporal Hicks,
594
00:26:30,505 --> 00:26:33,005
Michael Biehn picked up
where James Remar left off.
595
00:26:33,090 --> 00:26:35,221
Looks like love at first sight to me.
596
00:26:35,301 --> 00:26:39,392
It was a shame for Jamie Remar, who was
so talented, and it was such a great part.
597
00:26:39,972 --> 00:26:43,643
He was so intense.
It would have been a different movie.
598
00:26:43,727 --> 00:26:46,727
Michael has a completely
different presence,
599
00:26:46,813 --> 00:26:50,232
and it was a very nice,
gentler presence for Ripley.
600
00:26:50,317 --> 00:26:51,896
Right.
And so,
601
00:26:51,984 --> 00:26:55,404
with Remar's presence no longer required,
it was Michael Biehn's turn to ask…
602
00:26:55,488 --> 00:26:57,028
What exactly are we dealing with here?
603
00:26:57,115 --> 00:26:59,525
Despite not being too far into filming,
604
00:26:59,617 --> 00:27:03,367
there were some shots with Remar
that would be impossible to reproduce.
605
00:27:03,454 --> 00:27:07,535
That whole set was ripped apart
and struck when the shot was okayed.
606
00:27:07,625 --> 00:27:09,746
So they figured, fix it in post.
607
00:27:09,836 --> 00:27:12,205
Jim just cut to where he turned.
608
00:27:12,297 --> 00:27:14,086
So, that's what's in the movie.
609
00:27:14,173 --> 00:27:17,394
James Cameron certainly
wasn't afraid to play the angles
610
00:27:17,469 --> 00:27:21,308
when it came to saving money,
even for the main ship, the Sulaco.
611
00:27:21,388 --> 00:27:24,098
Jim said we're only gonna be
shooting this on one side,
612
00:27:24,183 --> 00:27:26,773
so you only need
to make one side of the model.
613
00:27:26,853 --> 00:27:29,563
But to help them decide
just what the model would look like,
614
00:27:29,647 --> 00:27:31,518
they called up Syd Mead…
Yes.
615
00:27:31,607 --> 00:27:33,897
…who was a legend in futuristic film art.
616
00:27:33,984 --> 00:27:35,815
I'd worked on
Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
617
00:27:35,903 --> 00:27:37,864
Then Blade Runner and Tron
at the same time.
618
00:27:37,947 --> 00:27:41,156
So, this juggling juggernaut
of sci-fi design
619
00:27:41,241 --> 00:27:44,201
got to work designing vehicles for Aliens.
620
00:27:44,287 --> 00:27:46,866
I started drawing this Sulaco thing.
621
00:27:46,955 --> 00:27:48,415
I designed the dropship.
622
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:50,589
But when it came
to building these vehicles…
623
00:27:50,669 --> 00:27:52,499
We had a very small
visual effects budget.
624
00:27:52,586 --> 00:27:55,126
…they needed to be
a little more down-to-earth.
625
00:27:55,214 --> 00:27:57,585
They didn't follow my design exactly.
626
00:27:57,675 --> 00:28:00,175
Exactly.
But in the movie industry,
627
00:28:00,260 --> 00:28:02,931
you hand over your ideas
to the director, then I'm out of it.
628
00:28:03,013 --> 00:28:04,814
And the director gets into it.
629
00:28:04,891 --> 00:28:07,730
Jim kinda was telling us
what he wanted with the crash.
630
00:28:07,810 --> 00:28:11,401
He wanted the dropship to do this and then
do that and do this,
631
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:13,730
and I'm thinking,
"There's no way we could do that."
632
00:28:13,817 --> 00:28:16,696
It's just gonna come off its wires
and do what it does."
633
00:28:16,778 --> 00:28:19,778
So, Pat told James Cameron…
Um…
634
00:28:20,656 --> 00:28:22,027
Careful, Pat.
635
00:28:22,116 --> 00:28:24,116
So, Pat told James Cameron…
636
00:28:24,201 --> 00:28:25,912
"M'kay."
Good boy.
637
00:28:25,994 --> 00:28:28,664
Despite having
no idea how they'd get it done.
638
00:28:28,748 --> 00:28:29,667
No.
639
00:28:29,749 --> 00:28:31,999
Until he had a bolt of inspiration…
640
00:28:32,085 --> 00:28:35,795
Thunderbirds.
…from this classic British puppet show.
641
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:37,759
Can you pull a few strings your end?
642
00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:39,260
And it also featured…
643
00:28:39,342 --> 00:28:40,642
A major crash.
644
00:28:40,719 --> 00:28:44,388
After which, they modeled
their own major model crash.
645
00:28:44,471 --> 00:28:48,481
And as far as designs go,
they found another way to save money.
646
00:28:48,559 --> 00:28:50,849
Jim designed a lot of stuff
of the film on his own.
647
00:28:50,936 --> 00:28:54,646
Including the Power Loader,
which was John Richardson's job to build.
648
00:28:54,732 --> 00:28:58,282
The Power Loader was
a mammoth task for us in special effects.
649
00:28:58,361 --> 00:29:01,990
Like everything else,
James Cameron wouldn't make it easy.
650
00:29:02,073 --> 00:29:04,083
Peter, why did you move that?
651
00:29:04,159 --> 00:29:05,788
Jim was a very hard taskmaster.
652
00:29:05,868 --> 00:29:07,999
Put it back in.
I didn't ask that to be moved.
653
00:29:08,078 --> 00:29:11,788
He used to get a bit nitpicky
about a screw in the boot
654
00:29:11,875 --> 00:29:13,625
that you were never,
ever gonna see.
655
00:29:13,710 --> 00:29:16,670
Jim is a perfectionist, so hands-on.
656
00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:18,714
Like that. See what I mean?
657
00:29:19,257 --> 00:29:23,047
And that made the job,
sometimes, a little bit harder.
658
00:29:23,135 --> 00:29:25,346
Which is the British way of saying…
659
00:29:25,430 --> 00:29:26,769
Made it a lot harder.
660
00:29:27,515 --> 00:29:30,934
All right, now, pull it so it lands
right on the lens when I say "action."
661
00:29:31,019 --> 00:29:33,098
Here we go, and… action.
662
00:29:33,771 --> 00:29:37,692
Guys, guys, I want you to pull it
so that it looks like it's leaping.
663
00:29:37,776 --> 00:29:39,135
It doesn't look like it's leaping.
664
00:29:39,193 --> 00:29:43,074
I won't say there weren't days when
I didn't want to bang my head on a wall.
665
00:29:43,155 --> 00:29:45,365
Get some gloves.
You can't pull hard without gloves.
666
00:29:45,450 --> 00:29:48,539
Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd
were just rubbing people the wrong way.
667
00:29:48,619 --> 00:29:50,460
"You have to pull it with gloves."
668
00:29:50,538 --> 00:29:53,577
You know, this is
just absolute hardcore Jim.
669
00:29:53,665 --> 00:29:56,036
Get some gloves and call me
when you're ready for this.
670
00:29:56,126 --> 00:29:58,047
And it wasn't just limited to the crew.
671
00:29:58,128 --> 00:29:59,298
Morning, Marines.
672
00:29:59,380 --> 00:30:02,470
I used to rehearse in my mind,
taking Jim out,
673
00:30:02,549 --> 00:30:08,430
actually knocking him fucking flat
because of the shit he was giving me.
674
00:30:08,515 --> 00:30:10,724
Stick your head out.
That's when you get shot.
675
00:30:10,808 --> 00:30:11,638
Boom.
676
00:30:11,726 --> 00:30:14,096
But there was
one group of young hatchlings
677
00:30:14,186 --> 00:30:16,686
who were sheltered
from the potential firing squad.
678
00:30:16,772 --> 00:30:19,073
We were in our own
little insulated bubble.
679
00:30:19,150 --> 00:30:22,279
As Stan Winston's crew
birthed alien after alien
680
00:30:22,362 --> 00:30:24,362
without any tummy troubles whatsoever.
681
00:30:24,446 --> 00:30:27,156
They were largely able to avoid invasion.
682
00:30:27,241 --> 00:30:29,791
We can do the rehearsal.
We had Stan to buffer.
683
00:30:29,868 --> 00:30:31,749
You know,
he kind of took the heat sometimes.
684
00:30:31,829 --> 00:30:35,880
With Stan taking the heat,
that let the guys focus on other jobs.
685
00:30:35,959 --> 00:30:38,038
Like taking out the trash.
Little higher.
686
00:30:38,126 --> 00:30:39,836
Because they needed to turn…
687
00:30:39,921 --> 00:30:41,881
The Trash Bag Alien Queen.
688
00:30:41,964 --> 00:30:44,085
…into something a little less garbage.
689
00:30:44,174 --> 00:30:45,464
We all sculpted.
690
00:30:45,551 --> 00:30:47,721
I did the body. Shane did the head.
691
00:30:47,804 --> 00:30:49,263
Alec Gillis did the leg.
692
00:30:49,346 --> 00:30:51,926
It was an unprecedented
creature effects build.
693
00:30:52,016 --> 00:30:54,635
And as they slowly pieced it together,
694
00:30:54,727 --> 00:30:56,767
that was also how they would shoot it.
695
00:30:56,855 --> 00:30:58,815
Because when working
with these giant puppets…
696
00:30:58,897 --> 00:31:02,067
It becomes very difficult
to get the kind of speed
697
00:31:02,151 --> 00:31:04,701
that Jim Cameron wants
in an action sequence.
698
00:31:04,778 --> 00:31:07,278
So, by shooting at a lower frame rate,
699
00:31:07,365 --> 00:31:09,615
it would look sped up when played back.
700
00:31:09,701 --> 00:31:11,580
But that meant…
701
00:31:11,661 --> 00:31:13,871
The actor has to slow down.
702
00:31:13,954 --> 00:31:16,535
And in that case, that meant this actor.
703
00:31:16,624 --> 00:31:19,213
If you want me to go slowly,
I'll go slowly.
704
00:31:19,294 --> 00:31:20,884
But it wasn't just this actor.
705
00:31:21,837 --> 00:31:24,877
Because just across
the lot at Pinewood Studios…
706
00:31:24,965 --> 00:31:27,925
They were also shooting
Little Shop of Horrors.
707
00:31:29,721 --> 00:31:32,971
Which had its own giant
toothy puppet, named Audrey II.
708
00:31:33,057 --> 00:31:34,767
How am I going to keep on feeding you?
709
00:31:34,851 --> 00:31:37,401
They were sometimes shooting
at a low frame rate too.
710
00:31:37,478 --> 00:31:39,807
So that Audrey
could be puppeteered properly.
711
00:31:39,897 --> 00:31:43,397
I knew what Rick was going through,
and he knew what I was going through.
712
00:31:43,483 --> 00:31:46,493
So, I think we had
a good laugh about that.
713
00:31:46,570 --> 00:31:49,570
The Keymaster
and the Gatekeeper reunited once again.
714
00:31:49,656 --> 00:31:53,616
But I would say Rick had a tougher job,
because he was in a comedy.
715
00:31:53,702 --> 00:31:56,833
I wasn't trying
to play scenes with the Queen.
716
00:31:56,914 --> 00:31:58,744
We weren't emoting with each other.
717
00:31:59,334 --> 00:32:01,094
There was one scene, however,
718
00:32:01,169 --> 00:32:04,259
that required Sigourney
to emote quite explicitly.
719
00:32:04,338 --> 00:32:06,469
Get away from her, you bitch!
720
00:32:06,548 --> 00:32:10,429
It was the first time
I'd heard her say any kind of bad word.
721
00:32:10,510 --> 00:32:12,891
I was just absolutely in shock.
722
00:32:12,971 --> 00:32:17,731
As soon as I said it, I was on my way
to going into falsetto when I went up.
723
00:32:17,809 --> 00:32:20,609
"Get away from her, you bitch."
Bitch!
724
00:32:20,688 --> 00:32:22,978
And I remember thinking, "Fuck."
725
00:32:23,775 --> 00:32:29,065
"Why'd you go up on that line?
If you're gonna sound like… go down."
726
00:32:29,154 --> 00:32:31,234
"Get away from her, you bitch!"
727
00:32:31,324 --> 00:32:34,203
Tell the creature, "Back off."
728
00:32:34,285 --> 00:32:36,615
Anyway, Jim loved that line reading.
729
00:32:36,703 --> 00:32:38,294
I don't think we did it again.
730
00:32:38,373 --> 00:32:42,292
And for the Alien Queen,
her time to shine had finally arrived.
731
00:32:42,376 --> 00:32:45,376
And we're in an 80-by-100-foot stage.
732
00:32:45,462 --> 00:32:47,093
Getting ready to shoot…
733
00:32:47,173 --> 00:32:49,512
When the queen's just trying
to capture Newt.
734
00:32:49,592 --> 00:32:53,432
We had to smoke up that set.
And like pretty much everything else…
735
00:32:53,512 --> 00:32:55,472
The smoke level had to be perfect for Jim.
736
00:32:55,556 --> 00:32:58,596
Which was a little easier said than done.
737
00:32:58,684 --> 00:33:01,845
It's an enormous stage.
It'd take minimal an hour to smoke it up.
738
00:33:01,938 --> 00:33:07,528
And we'd finally gotten the smoke up,
filling this entire huge studio.
739
00:33:07,609 --> 00:33:09,109
And now Jim's ready to shoot.
740
00:33:09,194 --> 00:33:11,654
Everybody, listen
for your action from Jim.
741
00:33:11,739 --> 00:33:13,528
And now it's four o'clock
in the afternoon.
742
00:33:13,615 --> 00:33:16,286
And the stage door
just starts rolling open,
743
00:33:16,368 --> 00:33:18,038
and all the smoke's going out.
744
00:33:18,121 --> 00:33:20,290
And there's this one small lady
745
00:33:20,373 --> 00:33:22,792
coming in with her little tea cart.
746
00:33:22,875 --> 00:33:23,875
"Tea break."
747
00:33:24,376 --> 00:33:25,287
Oy.
748
00:33:25,377 --> 00:33:29,837
Crew would walk off the set
and Jim would be like, "What the hell?"
749
00:33:29,923 --> 00:33:32,223
I remember thinking
he is gonna kill this woman.
750
00:33:32,300 --> 00:33:34,221
But she's just a little old tea lady.
751
00:33:34,302 --> 00:33:36,853
The dear woman,
it was just another day for her.
752
00:33:36,931 --> 00:33:40,060
Our AD should have stopped that.
Wait, you don't mean…
753
00:33:40,143 --> 00:33:41,563
The country's best first AD.
754
00:33:42,269 --> 00:33:45,230
But Derek was trying
to keep his good crew together
755
00:33:45,314 --> 00:33:48,403
and Jim, I think, they came to head.
756
00:33:48,483 --> 00:33:52,663
Like this. I did see
that this was not going to continue.
757
00:33:52,739 --> 00:33:54,528
They were gonna have
to figure something out.
758
00:33:54,615 --> 00:33:57,785
These issues between director
and assistant director
759
00:33:57,868 --> 00:33:59,159
were coming to a boil.
760
00:33:59,244 --> 00:34:01,115
They weren't a match made in heaven.
761
00:34:01,204 --> 00:34:05,704
Derek would call him "governor"
in a really patronizing way.
762
00:34:05,792 --> 00:34:07,303
He'd go, "Alright, guv'nor."
763
00:34:07,377 --> 00:34:10,418
And Jim would say, "I'd rather
you didn't call me governor."
764
00:34:10,505 --> 00:34:12,425
And Derek would say, "Alright, guv'nor."
765
00:34:12,507 --> 00:34:13,838
There was no reason for that.
766
00:34:13,925 --> 00:34:15,175
That was just dumb.
767
00:34:15,260 --> 00:34:17,221
I thought it was silly.
768
00:34:17,304 --> 00:34:20,885
Cameron would say to Cracknell,
"I want this shot set up this way."
769
00:34:20,974 --> 00:34:24,224
And Cracknell would go set it up
a different way, thinking it'd be better.
770
00:34:24,311 --> 00:34:26,021
And he absolutely got that wrong.
771
00:34:26,105 --> 00:34:28,605
And now you got to redo it,
and so you're losing time.
772
00:34:28,690 --> 00:34:30,990
He was undermining the director.
773
00:34:31,068 --> 00:34:34,068
He probably thought
that he'd be next in line to direct
774
00:34:34,155 --> 00:34:37,405
if, for some reason,
Jim left the show or was removed.
775
00:34:37,492 --> 00:34:39,911
For all the things said
about James Cameron…
776
00:34:39,994 --> 00:34:41,414
He was blunt.
Nitpicky.
777
00:34:41,496 --> 00:34:43,576
Perfectionist.
He's not physically affectionate.
778
00:34:43,664 --> 00:34:44,873
Blonde Canadian guy.
779
00:34:44,956 --> 00:34:46,286
…and unsaid…
Boom!
780
00:34:46,375 --> 00:34:49,414
…the fact remained,
this was James Cameron's movie.
781
00:34:49,503 --> 00:34:51,054
This was his make-or-break film.
782
00:34:51,130 --> 00:34:52,550
It was his first studio film.
783
00:34:52,632 --> 00:34:55,512
This was the big time,
and he was gonna die getting there.
784
00:34:56,094 --> 00:34:58,224
Jim and Gale had skin in the game
785
00:34:58,304 --> 00:35:00,474
in terms of the movie going over.
786
00:35:00,556 --> 00:35:02,846
They didn't have time
to waste on all of this.
787
00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:04,603
So, when they realized…
788
00:35:04,684 --> 00:35:06,764
We were two or three days behind schedule.
789
00:35:06,853 --> 00:35:08,614
And losing time, of course,
is losing money.
790
00:35:08,688 --> 00:35:11,358
Cameron decided enough was enough.
791
00:35:11,442 --> 00:35:12,692
So, he fired Derek Cracknell.
792
00:35:12,777 --> 00:35:15,277
But according to Derek…
793
00:35:15,362 --> 00:35:18,572
"James Cameron has not
earned the right to fire me."
794
00:35:18,657 --> 00:35:21,867
But Derek was very wrong,
and Derek was gone.
795
00:35:21,952 --> 00:35:26,583
And that's when
the proverbial manure hit the fan.
796
00:35:27,708 --> 00:35:30,248
All of the crew
had a lot of respect for Derek,
797
00:35:30,335 --> 00:35:33,166
because they felt
he was holding things together.
798
00:35:33,255 --> 00:35:35,835
So, when James Cameron fired the first AD…
799
00:35:35,925 --> 00:35:37,005
Who's firing? Goddamn it!
800
00:35:37,092 --> 00:35:39,762
…it turned out to be
the last straw for the crew.
801
00:35:40,387 --> 00:35:43,387
It was out-and-out bare-knuckle.
It was street fighting.
802
00:35:44,516 --> 00:35:45,806
It was like a mutiny.
803
00:35:45,893 --> 00:35:48,313
Sarge is gone! Get the fuck out of here!
804
00:35:48,396 --> 00:35:50,396
The crew said, "If he leaves, we leave."
805
00:35:50,481 --> 00:35:52,150
"If he goes, we all go."
806
00:35:52,233 --> 00:35:56,322
Everybody walked out. The crew said,
"Tools down. We're not moving."
807
00:35:56,403 --> 00:35:59,623
And just like that…
Production is dead in the water.
808
00:35:59,699 --> 00:36:03,998
…James and Gale's movie was on the ropes.
Gale Anne Hurd has gone on record
809
00:36:04,077 --> 00:36:07,208
saying it was probably the most
difficult moment of her whole career.
810
00:36:07,289 --> 00:36:11,670
They didn't realize how loyal
the English crew were to Cracknell.
811
00:36:11,751 --> 00:36:14,882
There was only one person
who could step in and…
812
00:36:14,963 --> 00:36:16,094
Do something!
813
00:36:16,173 --> 00:36:17,184
Sigourney Weaver.
814
00:36:17,257 --> 00:36:18,257
Hold on, Newt.
815
00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:20,931
The hero of the story
is actually Sigourney Weaver.
816
00:36:21,012 --> 00:36:22,851
Ripley, what the hell are you doing?
817
00:36:23,347 --> 00:36:25,177
She was the star. Everybody liked her.
818
00:36:25,266 --> 00:36:27,976
She'd been in the first one.
She knew the British crew.
819
00:36:28,059 --> 00:36:32,019
She was the only one who had the clout
to figure this thing out.
820
00:36:32,106 --> 00:36:35,275
And that's exactly
what she intended to do.
821
00:36:35,358 --> 00:36:37,778
She had a meeting with Jim and Gale.
822
00:36:37,862 --> 00:36:40,952
It's easy to speak up for another actor,
or to speak up for yourself.
823
00:36:41,032 --> 00:36:43,282
What she did was,
she spoke up for the crew.
824
00:36:43,367 --> 00:36:47,157
I've always felt doing the Alien films
that I am a member of the crew.
825
00:36:47,704 --> 00:36:49,704
I understood where they were coming from.
826
00:36:49,789 --> 00:36:52,710
I understood how frustrating
that must be for Jim and Gale.
827
00:36:52,793 --> 00:36:56,012
I knew we had to get over it.
We had to, like, start again.
828
00:36:57,088 --> 00:36:58,878
And for the infamously volatile…
829
00:36:58,965 --> 00:37:00,126
Blunt.
Nitpicky.
830
00:37:00,217 --> 00:37:01,217
Yes.
Perfectionist.
831
00:37:01,260 --> 00:37:04,469
Yes, all those things.
James Cameron had had enough.
832
00:37:04,554 --> 00:37:06,844
"Everybody on stage.
Jim will make a speech."
833
00:37:06,932 --> 00:37:09,603
Which is when he showed his true colors.
834
00:37:09,684 --> 00:37:12,974
"We're behind schedule.
We're gonna have to compensate for this."
835
00:37:13,063 --> 00:37:14,574
"We'll have to pick up our speed."
836
00:37:14,648 --> 00:37:17,648
But then, James Cameron
said something else.
837
00:37:17,735 --> 00:37:19,894
"But we have an amazing movie here."
838
00:37:19,987 --> 00:37:22,697
And he apologized to all of us.
839
00:37:22,782 --> 00:37:25,371
He said it was probably his fault,
pushing people too hard.
840
00:37:25,451 --> 00:37:26,951
It wasn't Derek's fault.
841
00:37:27,827 --> 00:37:31,208
When that happened,
the crew changed completely.
842
00:37:31,289 --> 00:37:35,090
Like Ripley herself,
Sigourney Weaver saved the day.
843
00:37:35,168 --> 00:37:38,759
And unlike the movie,
her real-life crew lived
844
00:37:38,838 --> 00:37:40,009
to fight another day.
845
00:37:40,090 --> 00:37:43,260
The star of the movie
put her neck on the line for them.
846
00:37:43,344 --> 00:37:46,893
And now, they wanted this film
to be a success for her.
847
00:37:47,847 --> 00:37:50,768
It totally cleared the air, blew it away,
848
00:37:50,851 --> 00:37:52,561
and we all kind of went,
849
00:37:52,644 --> 00:37:53,804
"We're on."
850
00:37:53,896 --> 00:37:57,565
And about time too,
because as the end of production loomed,
851
00:37:57,650 --> 00:37:59,940
they'd need all the coordination
they could get.
852
00:38:00,027 --> 00:38:02,106
The Power Loader versus the Queen Alien.
853
00:38:02,195 --> 00:38:06,775
And the whole film rested
on these metallic and alien-y shoulders.
854
00:38:06,867 --> 00:38:10,157
It's the culmination.
That's the moment we were coming for.
855
00:38:10,246 --> 00:38:12,286
Because if they didn't shoot this right…
856
00:38:12,373 --> 00:38:13,672
The movie would've been shot.
857
00:38:13,748 --> 00:38:15,248
It was a daunting task.
858
00:38:15,333 --> 00:38:19,923
A daunting task that kept
the entire team on their toes.
859
00:38:20,005 --> 00:38:21,416
On their tippy toes, really.
860
00:38:21,507 --> 00:38:25,177
It's this whole sort of ballet of
visual effects going on in front of you.
861
00:38:25,260 --> 00:38:27,181
And like all the great ballets…
862
00:38:27,262 --> 00:38:29,773
Action!
It was a duet.
863
00:38:30,307 --> 00:38:31,847
I had a group of my guys
864
00:38:31,934 --> 00:38:35,063
powering the claws
and making everything else work.
865
00:38:35,146 --> 00:38:36,806
With a little help from above.
866
00:38:36,896 --> 00:38:40,856
My wires that went up,
Jim made them look like antennas.
867
00:38:40,943 --> 00:38:42,782
And the American-made Queen?
868
00:38:42,862 --> 00:38:46,911
Stan choreographed
this whole team of all of us puppeteering.
869
00:38:46,990 --> 00:38:50,701
Let it drop all the way to your side.
This intricate dance…
870
00:38:50,786 --> 00:38:54,326
One set of pulleys to move the arm
and the other one to keep the head up.
871
00:38:54,414 --> 00:38:56,375
…required perfect poise.
872
00:38:56,458 --> 00:38:57,958
We were working her tail,
873
00:38:58,043 --> 00:39:02,304
her arms, the legs, the tongue
shooting at Sigourney's face.
874
00:39:02,380 --> 00:39:05,800
Yelling at me, "Closer, closer, closer!
No, don't hit her!"
875
00:39:05,885 --> 00:39:08,045
And for the Power Loader…
876
00:39:08,137 --> 00:39:10,806
We moved the arms, the legs.
It worked really well.
877
00:39:10,889 --> 00:39:12,429
Which is the British way of saying…
878
00:39:12,516 --> 00:39:14,135
Wow!
Holy smokes!
879
00:39:14,934 --> 00:39:16,434
And cut!
880
00:39:16,519 --> 00:39:19,650
Ten months and millions of dollars later,
881
00:39:19,731 --> 00:39:22,322
James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd,
and the team
882
00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:24,201
had finally finished production.
883
00:39:24,277 --> 00:39:26,108
Right then, off to the editing room.
884
00:39:26,197 --> 00:39:29,367
They had a very short
post-production schedule, very short.
885
00:39:29,449 --> 00:39:33,329
And an even shorter schedule
for the composer, James Horner.
886
00:39:33,411 --> 00:39:35,411
He came up with that famous escape theme.
887
00:39:35,498 --> 00:39:39,248
Titled "Bishop's Countdown."
And if you haven't heard it here,
888
00:39:39,335 --> 00:39:42,125
then maybe you heard it
in this trailer for Misery.
889
00:39:42,213 --> 00:39:43,512
Annie, for God's sake…
890
00:39:43,588 --> 00:39:44,878
Shh, darling.
891
00:39:44,965 --> 00:39:46,585
Or maybe in this one.
892
00:39:48,302 --> 00:39:49,512
Or in this one.
893
00:39:49,594 --> 00:39:51,135
Or in this one.
894
00:39:53,139 --> 00:39:56,559
But before any of those trailers
hit the big screen, Aliens did.
895
00:39:56,643 --> 00:39:58,903
And with Horner scoring full points,
896
00:39:58,978 --> 00:40:01,518
it was time for the film to take flight.
897
00:40:01,606 --> 00:40:04,317
Bill Paxton pestered the crap out of me
898
00:40:04,402 --> 00:40:07,032
to come for the premiere
because it was gonna be so,
899
00:40:07,112 --> 00:40:09,282
"Huge, man. Mark, it's gonna be huge."
900
00:40:09,364 --> 00:40:11,655
And on the night of their premiere,
901
00:40:11,742 --> 00:40:14,371
they found out just how huge.
902
00:40:14,452 --> 00:40:17,422
That very moment
when the alien wiggles out…
903
00:40:17,498 --> 00:40:18,918
Flamethrower, kill it!
904
00:40:18,998 --> 00:40:22,668
…all of the suits
from Fox leapt into the air.
905
00:40:22,753 --> 00:40:24,632
They were screaming like little girls.
906
00:40:25,922 --> 00:40:28,512
And Paxton grabbed my arm
and he was like,
907
00:40:28,592 --> 00:40:31,052
"Dude, this movie's gonna be great."
908
00:40:31,137 --> 00:40:34,677
And it really was,
because on July 18th, 1986,
909
00:40:34,764 --> 00:40:37,804
Aliens debuted
at number one in the box office,
910
00:40:37,893 --> 00:40:42,063
grossing over $10 million
in its first weekend alone.
911
00:40:42,148 --> 00:40:43,728
Our next movie is named Aliens.
912
00:40:43,815 --> 00:40:46,146
The movie is scary
and horrifying and disgusting.
913
00:40:46,235 --> 00:40:47,315
It's very well-made.
914
00:40:47,402 --> 00:40:49,112
And by the end of its run,
915
00:40:49,195 --> 00:40:51,405
this relatively inexpensive movie
916
00:40:51,489 --> 00:40:53,829
had blown away expectations.
917
00:40:53,909 --> 00:40:55,159
Earning more than…
918
00:40:55,244 --> 00:40:57,664
Forty-two million in adjusted dollars.
919
00:40:57,746 --> 00:40:59,996
No, no. It was a lot more than that.
920
00:41:00,081 --> 00:41:04,501
Because Aliens made over $130 million.
921
00:41:04,586 --> 00:41:07,166
But as impressive
as those box office figures are…
922
00:41:07,882 --> 00:41:10,931
So, one day, three boxes
of this comes in the mail.
923
00:41:11,010 --> 00:41:15,349
It's the toys.
The cast of Aliens were cast in plastic.
924
00:41:15,431 --> 00:41:18,731
I don't know if a lot of kids are going,
"I'm back. Alien."
925
00:41:18,809 --> 00:41:20,188
It's not a Christmas favorite.
926
00:41:20,268 --> 00:41:22,688
Come on. Kids are "mad about you."
927
00:41:22,771 --> 00:41:24,521
Even James Cameron has a figure.
928
00:41:24,606 --> 00:41:26,146
You talked to the toy company guy?
929
00:41:26,233 --> 00:41:29,612
Jesus, it's like The Making of The Making.
You're talking to everybody. Okay.
930
00:41:29,695 --> 00:41:31,735
Well, you know, almost everybody.
931
00:41:31,822 --> 00:41:36,161
Anyway, after Aliens,
obviously the franchise continued.
932
00:41:36,242 --> 00:41:38,333
I thought you were dead.
Yeah, I get that a lot.
933
00:41:38,411 --> 00:41:40,501
The next movie…
Is not Alien 2.
934
00:41:40,581 --> 00:41:42,041
Obviously.
Alien 3.
935
00:41:42,123 --> 00:41:43,384
Yes, of course.
936
00:41:43,458 --> 00:41:48,338
And the ones after that, immortalizing
these terrifyingly unlikable creatures
937
00:41:48,422 --> 00:41:50,842
on celluloid for generations.
938
00:41:50,925 --> 00:41:54,085
However, in 2017,
939
00:41:54,177 --> 00:41:56,217
the cast and crew of Aliens
940
00:41:56,304 --> 00:41:58,344
lost one of their brothers-in-arms.
941
00:41:58,431 --> 00:42:00,311
He's just one of the greatest guys,
942
00:42:00,391 --> 00:42:02,851
and it was a tremendous shock.
943
00:42:02,936 --> 00:42:03,936
Of all people.
944
00:42:04,021 --> 00:42:05,360
We weren't expecting that.
945
00:42:06,606 --> 00:42:10,027
Bill passed away
from complications following surgery
946
00:42:10,110 --> 00:42:11,860
at the age of 61.
947
00:42:11,945 --> 00:42:14,235
He was joking about
that this is pretty scary.
948
00:42:14,322 --> 00:42:16,282
Everybody's scared
when you go for an operation.
949
00:42:16,367 --> 00:42:19,036
And he said goodbye before
he was going under, and I guess...
950
00:42:19,119 --> 00:42:20,998
I guess he said, "Game over, man."
951
00:42:21,079 --> 00:42:22,289
Game over!
952
00:42:22,373 --> 00:42:25,083
He was one of the most
amazing human beings.
953
00:42:25,166 --> 00:42:27,996
It is still hurtful today
that he is no longer here with us.
954
00:42:28,086 --> 00:42:31,586
And at his memorial,
the cast and crew of Aliens
955
00:42:31,673 --> 00:42:34,514
came together
to remember their fallen brother.
956
00:42:34,592 --> 00:42:38,222
Jim Cameron said,
"I'm not a warm and fuzzy guy,
957
00:42:38,972 --> 00:42:41,932
but the biggest regret
of my life is that,
958
00:42:42,016 --> 00:42:44,597
the night before Bill went into surgery,
959
00:42:44,686 --> 00:42:47,436
I regret that I didn't tell him
that I loved him."
960
00:42:47,523 --> 00:42:51,822
And to this day, I think,
hasn't really sunk in.
961
00:42:51,902 --> 00:42:54,661
You know, if I thought
of going to see everyone again,
962
00:42:54,737 --> 00:42:56,617
I would have to remind myself that…
963
00:42:57,199 --> 00:42:59,329
that Bill was not gonna be part of that.
964
00:43:00,577 --> 00:43:04,117
In many ways, the story of Aliens
965
00:43:04,206 --> 00:43:07,496
is one of lessons,
and learning from them.
966
00:43:07,585 --> 00:43:09,795
He apologized to all of us.
967
00:43:09,878 --> 00:43:12,208
Even James Remar learned his lesson.
968
00:43:12,297 --> 00:43:15,967
A year after getting fired,
I got completely clean and sober,
969
00:43:16,050 --> 00:43:17,851
and have been ever since.
970
00:43:17,927 --> 00:43:22,097
Because when you trace the success
of this movie back to its roots,
971
00:43:22,181 --> 00:43:25,891
it's all about lessons
and the masters who taught them.
972
00:43:25,978 --> 00:43:28,898
Hard work is vitally important.
973
00:43:28,981 --> 00:43:30,440
From Roger Corman,
974
00:43:30,523 --> 00:43:33,244
who set James Cameron
and Gale Anne Hurd
975
00:43:33,318 --> 00:43:36,068
on their own unstoppable trajectory.
976
00:43:36,155 --> 00:43:38,525
If I hadn't gone to work for Roger Corman,
977
00:43:38,615 --> 00:43:41,076
I would never have had
a career as a producer.
978
00:43:41,159 --> 00:43:43,329
Producing things like this.
979
00:43:43,411 --> 00:43:45,161
But it's no surprise.
980
00:43:45,246 --> 00:43:49,626
She was the most brilliant
and creative producer.
981
00:43:49,710 --> 00:43:51,050
She was wonderful.
982
00:43:51,128 --> 00:43:54,878
And as for James Cameron,
with the success of Aliens
983
00:43:54,965 --> 00:43:58,085
which was the first
of many major studio films,
984
00:43:58,177 --> 00:43:59,927
this blonde Canadian
985
00:44:00,012 --> 00:44:03,811
would become one of the highest-grossing
directors of all time.
986
00:44:04,474 --> 00:44:06,434
And he's still working hard today.
987
00:44:06,518 --> 00:44:08,398
As are these guys,
988
00:44:08,478 --> 00:44:11,898
who, under their mentor,
created this monster
989
00:44:11,981 --> 00:44:13,612
in this parking lot.
990
00:44:13,692 --> 00:44:16,202
So, who brought the black plastic?
991
00:44:16,277 --> 00:44:20,407
Then went on to become giants
of the industry, decades later.
992
00:44:20,490 --> 00:44:22,331
We started the Monster Company.
993
00:44:22,409 --> 00:44:24,699
But not all four of them together.
994
00:44:24,786 --> 00:44:28,367
You would think competing
against your friends would be hard, but…
995
00:44:28,456 --> 00:44:29,286
Action!
996
00:44:29,375 --> 00:44:32,284
The competition
that we feel with each other is always
997
00:44:32,378 --> 00:44:34,757
a camaraderie.
See?
998
00:44:34,838 --> 00:44:36,878
We get together for dinner,
we share war stories.
999
00:44:36,965 --> 00:44:40,965
Whenever we wanna pre-test something,
we say, "Let's do a garbage bag test."
1000
00:44:41,052 --> 00:44:43,682
And nobody except us knows
what we're talking about.
1001
00:44:43,764 --> 00:44:46,063
Now we do, too.
1002
00:44:46,141 --> 00:44:48,231
And that's something we've learned.
1003
00:44:48,309 --> 00:44:49,519
Some others on the team…
1004
00:44:49,603 --> 00:44:52,563
Let's rock!
…learned that life is full of surprises.
1005
00:44:52,648 --> 00:44:55,188
You never know
where life is gonna take you.
1006
00:44:55,275 --> 00:44:58,144
I had no idea that,
I don't know, 30, 35 years ago,
1007
00:44:58,237 --> 00:45:02,277
I'd be running five lingerie stores
across the United States.
1008
00:45:02,365 --> 00:45:05,945
If it weren't for Aliens,
I would still be in London.
1009
00:45:06,036 --> 00:45:08,905
But as it turns out,
I've got beautiful kids,
1010
00:45:08,996 --> 00:45:11,246
a wonderful husband,
and I ended up here.
1011
00:45:11,333 --> 00:45:15,213
The making of Aliens
was more than just making a movie
1012
00:45:15,295 --> 00:45:18,465
and even more
than making lifelong friends.
1013
00:45:19,717 --> 00:45:21,677
The biggest lesson we all learned
1014
00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:24,599
was the one we were taught
by Ripley herself.
1015
00:45:25,722 --> 00:45:29,443
And what Sigourney Weaver's
character taught us was that…
1016
00:45:29,518 --> 00:45:32,898
Well, Hollywood needed to change.
1017
00:45:32,980 --> 00:45:35,730
She was supposed to be like you or me.
1018
00:45:35,815 --> 00:45:37,646
She was supposed to be everyone.
1019
00:45:38,652 --> 00:45:40,952
And then, all hell breaks loose.
1020
00:45:41,028 --> 00:45:42,659
What the fuck are we gonna do now?
1021
00:45:42,739 --> 00:45:45,409
And she has to just go on instinct.
1022
00:45:45,492 --> 00:45:50,831
But as a movie character,
Ripley's instincts were somewhat unique.
1023
00:45:50,914 --> 00:45:54,134
Back then, studios, for some reason,
1024
00:45:54,208 --> 00:45:58,168
preferred to keep women going
in this traditional way.
1025
00:45:58,255 --> 00:45:59,715
Please, I need your help.
1026
00:45:59,797 --> 00:46:02,427
Putting women in these little outfits
1027
00:46:02,509 --> 00:46:04,929
and have them cling to James Bond.
1028
00:46:05,012 --> 00:46:06,472
We're not dead yet.
1029
00:46:06,554 --> 00:46:09,724
They were always so obsessed
with women being sympathetic.
1030
00:46:09,807 --> 00:46:12,688
Yeah, a woman could do brave things.
1031
00:46:13,394 --> 00:46:16,855
But then she'd have to have
a little bit of a cry in a corner.
1032
00:46:16,940 --> 00:46:18,150
You okay?
No.
1033
00:46:18,233 --> 00:46:20,282
Boo-hoo. "Poor me" scene.
1034
00:46:21,695 --> 00:46:24,275
I'm a singer. I could lose my voice!
1035
00:46:24,364 --> 00:46:26,494
Come on, get moving!
Hold on, Newt.
1036
00:46:26,574 --> 00:46:30,574
But what Ripley showed
was just a woman getting her job done.
1037
00:46:30,661 --> 00:46:33,422
"Fuck this. I'm gonna just
kick some ass here
1038
00:46:33,498 --> 00:46:35,329
until I can get out of this situation."
1039
00:46:35,416 --> 00:46:36,286
Come on!
1040
00:46:36,376 --> 00:46:37,956
And it was much more familiar
1041
00:46:38,045 --> 00:46:41,465
and resonant to audiences
than perhaps it was to Hollywood.
1042
00:46:41,547 --> 00:46:44,547
But after the success of Aliens,
1043
00:46:44,635 --> 00:46:46,505
Hollywood took notice.
1044
00:46:49,472 --> 00:46:51,353
A lot of things changed after that.
1045
00:46:52,601 --> 00:46:54,981
The studios realized
that audiences were totally
1046
00:46:55,061 --> 00:46:57,771
into women kicking ass
and getting the job done.
1047
00:46:57,856 --> 00:46:59,726
Thank you for your consideration.
1048
00:46:59,817 --> 00:47:02,436
But the world
had to change a little bit, too.
1049
00:47:03,110 --> 00:47:05,411
We put women in the armed forces.
1050
00:47:06,072 --> 00:47:09,702
Women, you know, working in these fields
that were traditionally male.
1051
00:47:09,784 --> 00:47:13,155
So it took a while, I think,
for history to catch up a little bit.
1052
00:47:13,246 --> 00:47:14,746
I am no man.
1053
00:47:16,083 --> 00:47:18,382
And, um, thank goodness it has.
85892
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.