Major Aliens Star Almost Chose Stanley Kubrick Over James Cameron

A casting tug-of-war between two legendary directors reshaped Aliens. James Cameron created an entirely new character to prevent one actor from choosing Stanley Kubrick’s movie. The revelation gave new insight into how the 1986 sci-fi sequel assembled its iconic Colonial Marine squad.

Ricco Ross almost did Full Metal Jacket instead of Aliens

Ricco Ross, who played Private Frost, originally had his sights on a different Marine entirely, the actor revealed at Big Lick Comic Con NOVA during a panel moderated by Collider. He wanted to read for the role of Private Hudson. Cameron obliged but stopped short of offering him the part. “He had me read Hudson, and I got kind of attached to the character, but he said, ‘I can’t give you that role because I haven’t seen anybody else,’” Ross said. Seemingly frustrated, Ross issued an ultimatum. “I then said to James, ‘If it’s not that role, then I’m not interested.’”

The actor’s boldness might seem unusual now, but Ross acknowledged that Cameron’s industry standing was far from untouchable in that moment. The director had released The Terminator but had not yet become the box office titan behind Titanic and Avatar. “You’ve got to keep in mind, James Cameron was not the James Cameron we know right now,” he stated.

Then James Cameron responded with an extraordinary compromise. “I wrote the script, I will rewrite the script, and I’ll put these three smaller characters and make one character just for you,” Cameron told him. Ross, by his own admission, handled the offer with surprising arrogance. “I said I would think about it, very cocky,” he revealed.

Cameron urged him to return before signing elsewhere. That advice proved pivotal when Stanley Kubrick cast Ross in Full Metal Jacket and wanted him for eight weeks. “Every actor wanted to work with Stanley Kubrick,” Ross explained.

Honouring his promise, Ross returned to Cameron, intending to decline. Cameron countered aggressively, offering the rewritten role, days off for another project, and proper pay. Armed with Cameron’s terms, Ross approached Kubrick with practical requests. He asked to read the script. Kubrick refused. He asked for pay above the union minimum. Kubrick again refused, insisting on scale, the lowest legal amount.

The final barrier was scheduling. Cameron had offered to start Ross a week late on Aliens, allowing both films if Kubrick released him after eight weeks. Ross put the question to Kubrick. “He goes no, and so I had to choose, and the rest is history,” Ross said.

Ross chose Aliens, and James Cameron’s rewritten character gifted the film one of its most cohesive ensembles.

Source: Comingsoon.net