What first signaled to a young, eager-to-please James Cameron he'd make movie history with Sigourney Weaver? Her heels.

More than two decades ago, the director was waiting to meet her in a Santa Barbara hotel to pitch his ideas for the film "Aliens" _ the sequel to "Alien."

"I knew she was a tall girl," Cameron said. "I was thinking about her shoes. If she's wearing tall heels she's going to be this domineering personality and I'm going to be in for a rough ride. And if she's wearing flats, she's self-conscious about her height."

"She was actually wearing like a middle heel and I thought, 'OK this is going to work fine. She's going to be strong, she's going to be bold, but she's not going to be completely out of control,'" he said.

In 1985, Weaver signed the deal that made her the first million-dollar actress and the movie was released the following year.

Her second space mission as Ellen Ripley _ an astronaut who confronts her fears by taking on the hostile aliens she'd encountered in the earlier film, "Alien" _ earned her an Academy Award nomination.

Cameron went on to have more success with his "Terminator" sequel and won 11 Oscars for doomed love story "Titanic."

Earlier this month, Cameron and Weaver were discussing their relationship in London, after reuniting for another sci-fi adventure, "Avatar." The 60-year-old actress plays scientist Grace Augustine, who takes on a 10 foot (three meter) alien form in order to explore the planet Pandora.

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The Associated Press: Before Sigourney gets here, what do you think about the work you achieved together in "Aliens" with the strong female action character?

Cameron: It redefined strength. It wasn't just about physically kicking butt, it was about having the emotional strength. It's not about being strong and being fearless, it's what you do in the face of fear. And that's what that movie was all about.

(Weaver arrives)

AP: We were talking just before you came in about when you first met. He was telling me the story about wondering what shoes you were going to wear and how he was judging you.

Weaver: (Laughs) I had forgotten about that.

Cameron: I knew you were 6-foot-8 or whatever.

Weaver: Almost avatar size.

Cameron: Exactly and so it was with some trepidation that I was meeting you because I wanted the meeting to go well. I really wanted to make the movie, I thought we could do something pretty amazing together. I didn't know if it would be a combative relationship or one where you felt proprietary control of the character. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised at how much fun you thought the script was going to be.