Background
Weaver was born to Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, a former president of NBC, and English actress Elizabeth Inglis. She attended the Brearley, Chapin, and Ethel Walker schools in New York before enrolling at Stanford University, where she studied English Literature. In 1963 she changed her first name from Susan to Sigourney, after the minor character Sigourney Howard in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Being exceptionally tall as a child led to teasing from classmates; she coped by becoming a class clown, a habit she credits as the seed of her acting career.
After graduating from Stanford, and having caught the acting bug through early roles, she enrolled at the Yale School of Drama. Christopher Durang offered her a role in his off-Broadway play "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe," which launched several years of off-Broadway and road-company work. In 1977 she played a small part in John Guare's "Marco Polo Sings a Solo," produced by Joseph Papp at the Public Theatre in New York. In 1978 she was asked to screen-test for Officer Ripley in Ridley Scott's Alien, got the role, and the film became a major hit. Subsequent roles included a television newscaster in Peter Yates's Eyewitness (1981, opposite William Hurt) and a British diplomatic attaché in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982, opposite Mel Gibson).
Ghostbusters (1984)
Weaver portrays Dana Barrett, a cellist living at 550 Central Park West whose refrigerator becomes a gateway for supernatural forces. She auditioned for the role by acting like a dog. To prepare, she took cello lessons. On the first day of filming at the New York City Public Library, she visited the set to introduce herself to Bill Murray; Murray responded by picking her up and carrying her down Fifth Avenue while addressing her by her real name, "Susan." Throughout production Murray would regularly sneak up behind her during scene preparations and goof around, tickling her or lifting her.
During filming Weaver improvised the line describing Peter Venkman as a "game show host" in place of the scripted "used car salesman." For the Terror Dog climax, she was sealed inside the charred Terror Dog prop. Director Ivan Reitman stretched the sequence's apparent length by repeating shots from multiple angles. As Harold Ramis noted in the special features of the Ghostbusters anniversary DVD, Weaver's presence added an air of class to the entire cast.
Regarding the script, Weaver described it at the time as having "great heart and great humor" and praised Ivan Reitman as "a real craftsman."
Ghostbusters II (1989)
The road to Weaver's return in Ghostbusters II was contentious. Columbia Pictures initially attempted to avoid paying her a share of the first film's profits, and she threatened litigation. Early drafts of the sequel removed Dana Barrett entirely, replacing her with a new character named Lane Walker; Bill Murray participated in auditions for the Lane Walker role. Later drafts restored Dana to a cameo appearance, and ultimately she was reinstated as the main romantic lead. Weaver was ultimately offered a flat fee of $1 million to appear in the film.
Her final scene to be filmed was the intimate dinner between Dana and Peter at Armand's Restaurant. That scene was later cut from the theatrical release.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Weaver did not reprise Dana Barrett for Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009). According to Vivendi Executive Producer John Melchior, she was never contacted about the project. Terminal Reality Creative Director Drew Haworth stated publicly that she had turned down an offer to participate; Melchior disputed this. Reports also indicated that upon learning Bill Murray had agreed to voice his role, Weaver attempted to join the project, but development had progressed too far for her to be incorporated.
Ghostbusters (2016)
In the 2016 reboot directed by Paul Feig, Weaver appears in a cameo role as Dr. Rebecca Gorin, the mentor of Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon). Several earlier cameo concepts were developed before the final version: one draft had Weaver as an unidentified woman who approaches the Ghostbusters' vehicle during their city patrol, tells them she believes in them, then either lies down on the ground or repeats the line to someone else. Another draft placed her in a group of women gathered outside the Firehouse giving conspiratorial thumbs-up to the team after they save the city.
The Rebecca Gorin scene was reportedly cut from an earlier edit of the film because it was deemed non-essential to the story, then restored for the theatrical release.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
Weaver reprised her role as Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, appearing alongside returning cast members including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson in the film's third act.
IDW Comics References
The IDW Publishing Ghostbusters comics include several visual and textual nods to Weaver. In the "Visitation" backup story across Ghostbusters Volume 2 issues #7 and #8, a teacher character is visually based on her likeness. The Regular Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #1 includes a map credit referencing Sigourney Weaver. On page 11 of Ghostbusters Year One issue #2, an official 8x10 photograph of Weaver in costume as Dana from the first film appears on Peter Venkman's locker door. In Ghostbusters Year One issue #3, Dana's outfit in one scene is modeled on a costume worn by Weaver's character Lauren Slaughter in the 1986 film Half Moon Street.
Quotes
"I've always regretted having such a serious career because I'm really more of an idiot."
"The script has the basic elements in it -- great heart and great humor, and our director, Ivan Reitman, is a real craftsman." -- on Ghostbusters (1984)
References
- Ghostbusters (1984), Columbia Pictures
- Ghostbusters II (1989), Columbia Pictures
- Ghostbusters (2016), Columbia Pictures
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), Sony Pictures
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009), Vivendi/Atari; statements by John Melchior and Drew Haworth
- IDW Publishing, Ghostbusters comic series (various issues)
- Spook Central, "Ghostbusters Press Kit: Biographies" (GB1 production press kit)
- Ghostbusters Anniversary DVD, special features (Harold Ramis commentary)
