Ghostbusters' Exploding Egg Scene Startled Sigourney Weaver So Much She Barely Had To Act
Sigourney Weaver will always be recognized for portraying Peter Venkman's (Bill Murray) headstrong love interest in the "Ghostbusters" franchise, but Weaver's resume also boasts some of the most impressive movie credits ever to grace the Silver Screen. From "Alien" to "Galaxy Quest" to "Avatar," the thespian has amassed an array of unforgettable characters in special effects-driven projects. And in "Ghostbusters," she really had to rely on her impressive acting skills to help her sell one of the original film's earliest visual effects shots.
"The stuff in the refrigerator — I opened the refrigerator and see something," Weaver explained during an interview promoting the original "Ghostbusters" in 1984 (via The Bobbie Wygant Archives). "Of course, we didn't know what that was. And that was harder. It's harder to open the door and see your director's [Ivan Reitman] face and scream. You know, this is what I had to do because the camera was inside the refrigerator." In 1984, practical effects still reigned over the burgeoning CGI effects that eventually developed into the movie magic cinephiles know and love today. "You just have to hope that it will be something scary in there and not make you look like an idiot for screaming," Weaver said of her reaction during the same sit-down.
While Weaver had to pull out all the stops to make the refrigerator scene seem real, the actor didn't have to do much performing when the eggs leapt out of their carton during the same sequence.
Weaver felt scrambled by the eggs
The first scene Sigourney Weaver shot as Dana Barrett for the original "Ghostbusters" was part of the exploding eggs catastrophe in her penthouse's kitchen. And it's there that Dana eventually hears the Terror Dog shout the name Zuul from inside her fridge. But Weaver didn't have to do a whole lot of acting when it came to pretending she was scared. Since Dana is a cellist in the film, Weaver was focused on character development. Therefore, the actress was caught up on the set humming cello music to herself.
"I'm in my own world, and then Ivan [Reitman] had these eggs jump out of these cartons," Weaver said during her interview (via The Bobbie Wygant Archives). "So, a lot of attention was on the eggs. Making them jump higher and splash more and sounds. And the whole counter was like burning up, making these eggs leap out. I don't know how they did it. I don't know if they had little air things inside the eggs, but these eggs just exploded. And it was jarring. Luckily, it was such a good effect, I didn't have to do anything."
Weaver participated in many special effects sequences during the filming of "Ghostbusters." And whether Dana was being kidnapped by Zuul's supernatural minion in the living room of her apartment, being possessed and floating over her bed, or transforming into a Terror Dog, Weaver brought truth and authenticity to every aspect of her performance.