Three time Oscar-nominated actress Sigourney Weaver is on the Island to host the Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival.

The food Festival, which has been put on by the Bermuda Department of Tourism is on until November 16 at a host of restaurants and hotels.

Mrs. Weaver, who became famous through her role as the warrant officer Ripley in the ?Alien? trilogy, is in Bermuda to taste samplings of some of the finest cuisine.

Mrs. Weaver arrived on the Island on Saturday evening and was unable to say who her preferred chef was, but explained that in her private moments, her husband, theatre director, Jim Simpson was her favourite chef.

?I just got here, this is it,? she said, ?I don?t have a favourite chef, as such, but I would say it is my husband when he cooks.

?He gets really cranky with me when I don?t follow recipes, because sometimes I go, ?oh, I don?t have that? so I add something else.?

?But my favourite restaurant in New York is Arqua, which is Northern Italian cooking and the owner is Leo and all the recipes are his and I love the food. It is simple and absolutely scrumptious.?

Mrs. Weaver, who is the daughter of former NBC president Sylvester (Pat) Weaver and English-born former actress Desiree (Liz) Weaver nee Inglis, said her favourite foods lean more towards simple cooking, rather than fancy cuisines.

The actress, who has starred in almost 30 films and numerous plays, said although she loves a well cooked meal, she manages to keep her five-foot-eleven-inch frame in check.

?I do a lot of ballet and Pilates and stuff like that,? she said. ?And then we live in New York so we walk everywhere.

?You have to eat a bit like an athlete when you are in a play, as it is one-and-a-half-hours straight. So I try to eat sensibly, I don?t always enjoy eating sensibly and I hope not to eat sensibly tomorrow.?

The star of ?Copy Cat? and ?Holes? said she has another film on the horizon called ?Imaginary Heroes?. The film makes its debut next month.

?I would say it is an art film, it is like ?Ice Storm?,? said the 55-year-old actress, ?But it is more comedy and it has a 24-year-old writer director.

?And then I am doing a film called ?Snow Cake?, in Canada, and later I may bring a play called ?Mrs. Farnsworth? to London.?

When asked what was her most favourite role to play, she said: ?I have no idea ? it is always the next one.

?I have really enjoyed playing ?Mrs. Farnsworth?. She is a very sweet woman from the suburbs, who may have had an affair with George Bush, but won?t mention his name because she is too polite.

?And I loved her, she is a very dear sweet woman and I don?t often get to play dear sweet women.

?It?s a but kicker. It is more difficult for me to play.?

Mrs. Weaver, who changed her name from Susan to Sigourney after reading ?The Great Gatsby? when she was 14-years-old, thought that her next role was going to be a demanding one.

?I think that my role in ?Snow Cake? is really going to be challenging,? she said, ?She is a woman with autism and she doesn?t feel sorry for herself ? she is very matter of fact about it. ?And the role in ?Imaginary Heroes? is one where I am a crazy pot-smoking mother and it is very funny and it is a great role.

?I feel like I have gotten better roles now that I am older.?

Mrs. Weaver, who also acted as Dian Fossey in ?Gorillas in the Mist?, said her height was still somewhat of a hindrance to her career.

?It still keeps me from getting more conventional pieces and conventional directors,? she said.

?I am never aware of how tall I am, so I am glad it hasn?t held me up too much.?

Having made it in spite of her height she advised that others continue to strive because there is a need for diversity.

?I would say they need you,? she said, ?And we don?t want all these actresses who all look alike, who weigh the same, and have the same look.

?And as good as they are, they are all uniform and I think there is going to be an explosion any day now. So join the fray.?

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The Bermuda Culinary Arts Festival continues until November 16. See listings on www.bermudatourism.com/CulinaryFest.