Sigourney Weaver accepted a role in 'Call My Agent!' before reading the script.

Sigourney Weaver

Sigourney Weaver

The 71-year-old actress stars in an episode of the French comedy, and has admitted to jumping at the opportunity before giving it her usual degree of consideration.

She shared: "I really hadn't read it when I said yes and I'll probably never ever do that again in my career. But I knew whatever it was, I could make it work. I just wanted to say yes in case they changed their mind."

In the episode - which was filmed in Paris shortly before the coronavirus lockdown - Sigourney is seen speaking fluent French.

The Hollywood star relished the challenge of using a second language in the show.

She told the BBC: "It was such a delightful experience.

"I love France and I also love performing in a comedy. I'm not asked to do it enough and yet it's so much fun.

"By the end I was even improvising in French with the cast and I can't tell you how much it meant to me. The actors have such a sharp sense of comic timing."

'Call My Agent!' has featured a host of big-name stars over the years, including the likes of Monica Bellucci, Isabelle Huppert and Juliette Binoche.

And Sigourney loves the idea of well-known people playing fictionalised versions of themselves in the show.

She said: "I guess it's such a good joke of finding out the reality behind the glamorous image of the actor.

"Isabelle Huppert doesn't take herself seriously and so sends up her real seriousness about her work. There's just about enough truth in it to make it resonate in a real way.

"It's great fun to make fun of yourself and make fun of your business."