Xenomorph accuses Ridley Scott of psychological harassment
In the fallout of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, other big names were bound to fall. Even so, we were still surprised to see charges against big names such as Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K. and Jeffrey Tambor. The latest name to get implicated is director Ridley Scott, of movies such as Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator, and the classic film A Good Year.
When discussing these earlier scandals, Ridley Scott’s name had only been brought up because he booted Spacey from his latest movie All The Money in the World, replacing him with Christopher Plummer. At no point did Scott get accused, until this tweet happened on the 23rd of November:
This twitter account is the official handle of the Xenomorph alien creature that has played the lead role in the Alien films since Ridley Scott’s first film in 1979. Rumors abound when this tweet landed, which resulted in an official statement from the creature clarifying that the harassment is not of a sexual nature:
When I crash-landed on earth in 1977, I found myself blessed to have landed in the backyard of then upcoming director Ridley Scott. We instantly collaborated on creating the first Alien movie, which turned him into a household name and allowed me to continue the acting career I had started on a different planet.
After this we went our different ways. I kept admiring Ridley’s ability to tackle different genres, and it’s his boldness that helped give me the confidence to experiment with my own franchise. After Aliens vs Predator: Requiem I was creatively tapped out, and decided to get my old friend involved again. It’s here where things went wrong.
Once Ridley returned to the franchise, he minimized my role to the extent that I was just a consultant on Prometheus. When I asked Ridley to at least let me cameo for the ending to this movie, he ridiculed me in front of the entire crew, calling me a fossil that shouldn’t even be allowed on the set.
I decided to get legal help, which successfully got me back on the screen for Alien: Covenant. Although he acted professionally on set, Ridley had the tendency to drunk call me after shooting days, saying he’d do anything in his power to minimize my role as much as possible.
I was not surprised when I saw the movie and found most of my scenes had been deleted. To add insult to injury, Ridley used every opportunity to replace me with a CGI likeness, opting to even have my avatar perform a silly dance at one point.
When I asked Ridley to return to the franchise, I thought he would help me put my career back on track. Instead I’ve been living in a nightmare since he’s back, barely appearing in my own movies or having nothing more to do than growl.
I’m not sure why he is doing this to me, but given the current climate I felt now was the time to speak out about the humiliation I’ve endured. He may not have physically assaulted me, but I don’t know if the psychological scars he caused will heal during my lifetime. (I use the term lifetime lightly, since I can’t die).
A devastating read, and we only hope this statement will add some clarity to Scott, whether it’s in him deciding a better course for the Alien franchise, or leaving it behind all together. As for the Xenomorph, we hope he won’t have to resort to gambling ads to pay the bills, like his former co-star Lance Henriksen.
