Sigourney Weaver says daughter inspired her to play the "really awful woman" in holes

Actress Sigourney Weaver recently shared a heartwarming story about how her then‑8‑year‑old daughter, Shar, played a surprising role in her casting for the 2003 film Holes.

Shar was assigned the Holes novel for school and approached her mom with a suggestion that would shape Weaver’s involvement in the movie. “Mom, there’s this really awful woman in my book, and you should play her,” Weaver recalled her daughter saying, a recommendation she found both touching and insightful.

Weaver said she was proud of her daughter’s ability to separate herself from the story and recognize a role her mother might enjoy.

“I remember being very proud of her that she was able to separate from the book and be able to say to me, ‘There’s a really awful person, and you should play her, Mom,’ ’cause I think she knew I would enjoy it,” the actress shared, reflecting on the moment of inspiration.

In Holes, Weaver played Warden Louise Walker, the strict head of a juvenile detention program where young characters are forced to dig holes as part of a secret plan to find buried treasure.

Weaver described the warden as “quite a creation, I mean, really nightmarish from a children’s point of view,” showing that she embraced the character’s dark and complex nature.

What made the role even more meaningful for Weaver was how her portrayal added emotional depth to the character’s backstory.

She explained that the warden had spent her own childhood searching for treasure and was driven by that pursuit even as an adult, suggesting the character was shaped by unresolved emotional wounds.

To bring closure to the role, Weaver convinced the director to include one final scene showing the warden briefly finding what she was searching for before being taken away. a small but poignant moment of resolution.