When cinema-goers queued up to seeAliensin 1986, seven years had already passed since its predecessor,Alien.
Henriksen and Camerons working relationship stretched back several years beforeAliens.
When Bishop first appears on the screen, movie-goers probably shared the same distrust as Ripley.
For the entirety ofAliens first act, Cameron plays on our suspicions.
Theres a scene on Hadleys Hope where Bishop is dissecting a facehugger, much as Ash did inAlien.
Its when the aliens close in and the Marines start expiring that Bishops warmth becomes more apparent.
One of the films best incidental scenes involves Bishop crawling through a duct and activating a transmitter.
The way Bishop gently corrects them on this point is a sublime piece of writing and acting.
Believe me, Id prefer not to, he says.
I may be synthetic, but Im not stupid.
The brilliance of Henriksens performance didnt come about by accident.
I was basically playing myself at that age.
Armed with this knowledge, it becomes easier to understand Bishops strange interest with the facehugger hes examining inAliens.
Hes a youthful-minded scientist, fascinated by life in all its forms.
Theres no good or eviljust this ultimate respect for anything living.'
Even Bishops first scenethat knife game he plays with an ususpecting Hudsonarose from Henriksens conversations with Cameron.
In a film full of memorable characters, Bishop stands out because of his calm air.
Indeed, hes the only one who refuses to handle a gun.
Bishop forms part of the humane thread that James Cameron sews into hisAliensequel.
Its this idea that Henriksen captures so beautifully in his performance.
Hes nothing less than science fictions ultimate gentle android.
Not bad for a human.
