Weaver Shows Her Versatility

More than 20 years ago, Sigourney Weaver became famous playing a space explorer in Alien. In her newest film, A Map of the World, Weaver is very much rooted to the earth as a wife and mother on a Wisconsin dairy farm. The Early Show's Jane Clayson reports.

"She's very irreverent and kind of a smarty-pants....She doesn't follow the guidelines, you know, and she's not diplomatic," says Weaver.

"You want her to be quiet and behave better but at the same time, one can't help but admire her," says Weaver.

She portrays Alice Goodwin, accused of molesting a child. This is a change of pace for her from earlier action-packed space-crusader roles and something she appreciates.

"The script was wonderful, but I think the opportunity to play a mother of young children on earth in a normal situation and the fact that I have a young daughter - I was able to bring a lot of my own love for my child to the role," she adds.

Like American Beauty, A Map of the World speaks a lot about family life, specifically about the resilience of the family, because of what her character has to go through, Weaver says.

"Alice's family has to endure, first, a tragic accident. And then Alice gets arrested and she goes to jail, and it's very hard on not only her but her husband and kids and certainly her friends," she explains.

"At the end they're still together. You know, it may not be perfect. But they've made it work, and they've all sacrificed for each other and moved on," Weaver adds.

To research her character, Weaver asked permission to visit a jail and have authorities put her through the process.

"What they said to me was if you are arrested, for something like sexual molestation, even if it's not true, there is an atmosphere around you where people are quick to believe it, which is part of Alice's problem is the community," Weaver says.

Throughout her career, Weaver has performed roles that showcase her versatility as an actress, even though it was her role as Ellen Ripley in the 1979 hit Alien that put her on the A-list of Hollywood. Many space-related films have followed.

In the just released sci-fi spoof Galaxy Quest, Weaver makes fun of her image as a science-fiction hero. She has recently taken a lot of flack for her comments about being a blonde in the film. Weaver has been quoted as saying: "When I put on the blonde wig, I didn't say an intelligent thing for four months."

But Weaver sets the record straight by saying: "I was talking about my blonde character, who I think is very smart, but when she (is) in the cat suit with it unzipped and with the blonde hair on, she has a lot less confidence."

"I would say stupid things, and the director would look at me, and I'd say, 'Srry.' Because she had such low self-esteem," she says.

Other films by Weaver, according to Hollywood.com, are: