Actor Michael Biehn has revealed that his Aliens co-star Sigourney Weaver was upset when director James Cameron cut a key scene explaining what happened to her character Ellen Ripley's daughter during her decades in hypersleep. Weaver reportedly felt the scene was essential, as it deepened the emotional context behind Ripley's protective, surrogate mother-daughter bond with the young survivor Newt in the 1986 sci-fi sequel.

Speaking to Collider, Biehn recalled being present when Weaver learned of the cut, saying she was "not very happy about it" and quoting her objection that Cameron had removed "the whole setup" of her character losing a daughter. He joked that any disappointment was likely eased by Weaver's subsequent Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, one of the film's seven Oscar nods; Aliens went on to win two Oscars and earn around $131 million worldwide against an $18.5 million budget. The deleted scene was later restored in Cameron's extended Special Edition cut, allowing audiences to see the backstory Weaver had fought to keep.