Sigourney Weaver Revealed the Lowkey Sexist Reason She Had a Hard Time Starting Her Acting Career

Sigourney Weaver might be a big name today, but her journey to fame was anything but easy. Like many aspiring actors heading to Hollywood, her “overnight” success was more of a slow climb.

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Even with lots of stage experience, Weaver hit an unexpected roadblock—her height. At six feet tall , she stood out in a way that wasn’t always helpful. “I couldn’t get an agent. If I walk into your office and I’m [nearly] six feet tall, they’re not going to sign me up,” she shared with Hello! Magazine . It seemed like Hollywood had some secret height limit she didn’t meet.

It took her four years to find an agent, and her first job came from a magazine called Backstage , not through some glamorous audition. Even after getting an agent, her height was still a big deal in auditions. “Casting me was not a conventional decision,” Weaver said.

She noticed that producers, including Al Pacino, would often sit down as soon as she walked in, probably not wanting to be overshadowed by gasp! A woman who is six feet tall.

But it was her impressive presence that director Ridley Scott needed for the movie Alien , which gave her the big break at 28. Her role as Ellen Ripley is iconic, to say the least, and Weaver set a completely new standard for female protagonists in sci-fi. She continued to dominate the genre in movies like Ghostbusters and Avatar . She’s even done comedy with films like Heartbreakers , something she thinks she is “pretty good at,” and wants to do more of.

And to all the men who felt small next to her — sorry, but Sigourney’s towering talent isn’t shrinking anytime soon!

Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity women who are 5 feet, 9 inches tall or over.