Carrie Henn

Carrie Henn is an American actress best known for playing Rebecca “Newt” Jorden in James Cameron’s Aliens (1986). Cast at nine with no prior professional experience while living in England, where her father was stationed with the U.S. Air Force, she portrayed the sole young survivor of the Hadley’s Hope colony on LV-426. Filming opposite Sigourney Weaver, she formed the film’s central bond between Newt and Ellen Ripley. The performance earned her the 1987 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actress.

Henn’s work on Aliens included both the theatrical cut and additional material later released in the special edition, in which her brother, Christopher Henn, appears as Newt’s sibling Timmy. The role required long days on practical sets, water sequences, and close work with the film’s creature effects. One of her lines, “They mostly come at night… mostly,” became closely associated with the character.

After the film’s release she did not pursue a full-time acting career. She later appeared as a union worker in the independent feature Thunder Island (2020) and has taken part in documentaries and retrospective interviews about Aliens. She graduated from California State University, Stanislaus, in 2000 with degrees in liberal studies and child development and went on to work as an elementary school teacher in California. She has remained active with Alien franchise events and fan conventions.