I was going to just post this in the Calgary-con thread, but I think the topics from the panel are fun tidbits and insight into the entire world of the movie, so maybe the Ready Line would be appropriate. If anyone finds the 1hr 45mins to watch it (or has already seen it it), please share your thoughts as well.
MattRendar wrote:
(quote w/link taken from Calgary expo thread in UACM section. If anyone had not been following that thread, then just know 9 of the actors were reunited for a Q&A panel in Calgary last weekend)
While much of it was stories we had heard before (but amazing nonetheless to hear it straight from the horses' mouths) there were lots of great moments and new stories. Below are some of the more memorable moments/tidbits that stuck with me:
-Paxton commented "100 years from now, they are gonna wheel out our cryogenically frozen heads so they can ask us questions about Aliens. And we'll be like 'haven't you people had enough?!'". The answer of course is NO. But quite amusing nonetheless.
-Someone asked if the rest of the cast was aware of why James Remar was replaced and if they were allowed to talk about it. Several of them started CRACKING UP and Ross and Paxton nodded their heads knowingly. It was pretty clear that he had several partners in his infraction, but it would appear only James got caught! Maybe James was out of control compared to the rest, but Paxton in particular seemed to be the lead man in knowing exactly what went down.
-Paxton, surprising no one I'm sure!, was clearly the party animal. When asked about props he got to keep, he mentioned the "Tabacco tin" Terry English made him. He was pratically making 'air quotes' and winking when he said hand rolled "cigarettes" were popular back then so he loved that tin. When answering questions about how much they hung out, Paxton answered that he called Ricco all the time... to ask if he was 'holding'. They said they did "something" together every weekend during filming and those were "things they can't talk about now".
-Ricco was the coolest guy in the room all weekend. When the topic of physiques came up, he said "Don't dare me to show you what I got going on now". Of course the crowd demanded to know at that point, so he pulled up his shirt. The man is still RIPPED!!!! Full blown 8 pack!!! If he would shave off that gray beard, he would not have aged a day!
-Ricco and Rolsten describing their post filming/gym/shower "Pose-offs" in front of the mirror flexing and trying to prove they each had the superior form was one of the funnier moments. Both admitted Jeanette would have won easy if she had jumped in.
-Ricco took a moment to give a shout out to Trever Steedman. "Never leave a Marine behind" he said. Damn he is smooth.
-Carrie Henn's account of the bullying she faced as a 10 year old because of her 'fame' was actually pretty sad. She said the other girls made her an outcast (looking back now it was clearly jealousy) so as she grew she essentially "hid" the fact she was a child actress. She said by the time she was in college none of her closest friends even knew she was in Aliens because the attention it brought her was so negative in grade school. Damn shame.
-I had heard Biehn quoted numerous times as being happy to have missed the 2 week "training" the other actors went through. This always kind of confused me as to why he was so openly against it and never missed an opportunity to take a shot at it despite the fact he didn't do it. I'm sure it was hard and maybe even tedious, but they got military training necessary for their character's attitudes and helped them bond as a unit. Why is that so bad? The other actors reflected on it so positively and cited great appreciation to Al Mathews. Well, here Biehn's stance had not changed and he he openly called it "Bullshit training" and even said that "Hicks never listed to Apone much". ??? What? Is Biehn saying his 'character' was anti-authority? It kind of fits since Hicks was so capable of leadership and bigger things, but still a lowly "grunt", so maybe "Hicks'" attitude toward authority could be holding him back (from a back-story kind of thing). OR, was that he was implying he as a person and Al Mathews never got along? Considering his attitude toward the training, I definitely got the impression that Al and Michael butted heads. Impossible to say for sure, but it was just my impression from the tone.
So those were my takeaways.