'Alien: Covenant' release date, news: Katherine Waterston compares Daniels to Ripley

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is undoubtedly one of the strongest female characters ever introduced in a science fiction series. Who else could walk into a Xenomorph hive and stare down a Queen without flinching? When she threatened to blast away the eggs, the Queen summoned her drones. It was a standoff. Things may look dire, but Ripley knew what she had to do. She opened fire on the entire chamber, setting the whole place ablaze. This was a woman who had stared death straight in the face and won.

It was a classic scene in "Aliens." But before Ripley became such a bad-ass, she was just a warrant officer aboard the Nostromo in "Alien." She just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. In an interview with USA Today, Katherine Waterston admitted that her character in "Alien: Covenant," Daniels, does share similarities with Ripley.

"You don't really know what you're made of until you're tested. They are both able to somehow think clearly in really shocking, unimaginable scenarios. It's fun to play someone who can thrive in that chaos," she stated.

Daniels sounds like a tough woman in the same vein as Ripley, but Waterston is actually a little fainthearted in real life. "I'm very squeamish. I've seen these movies many times, but I feel like I've barely seen any of the alien scenes because my eyes are usually covered," she said.

Aside from Waterston, "Alien: Covenant" will also star Billy Crudup, Danny McBride and Demian Bichir. James Franco will also appear in the film as Daniels' husband and the original captain of the Covenant.

Michael Fassbender is returning to play the synthetic android David, and he will also portray another android named Walter. Noomi Rapace will also reprise her role as Elizabeth Shaw. Furthermore, Guy Pearce will once again appear as Peter Weyland.

"Alien: Covenant" is scheduled to premiere on May 19.