Jenette Goldstein makes tough supporting characters physically credible, even when the writing stops at toughness. We value her conviction, especially in Aliens, while wishing Vasquez had been given more of a life beyond her duties.
Fi1m perspective
Private Vasquez is a smart-gun operator in Aliens (1986), and Jenette Goldstein makes us believe she is equal to the job. She gives us a soldier we can place quickly within the unit. We enjoyed her physical certainty, then felt frustrated by how little quieter time James Cameron gives her. His screenplay sometimes treats the marines' rowdiness as sufficient characterisation, and Goldstein cannot supply every detail it leaves out. She is worth watching even where the writing settles for a type.
Aliens was her first film role, though the supporting work that followed was not confined to soldiers. She played Diamondback in Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark (1987), Meagan Shapiro in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) and Janelle Voight in Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Her appearance and physical manner change enough between parts to make recognition difficult. We value that willingness to look and move differently, particularly in an actor so readily associated with toughness.
The make-up used for Vasquez needs separating from the performance. Goldstein was not Latina, and make-up and contact lenses were used to present her as a Latina character. We cannot treat that as just another example of an actor changing her appearance. Her physical work deserves credit, but the casting was a poor choice.
Terminator 2 is an excellent action film, although its sentimental middle is a weakness, and Linda Hamilton supplies the urgency we most remember. Goldstein's supporting part is not the chief reason to recommend it. Cameron returned to her for the Irish Mother cameo in Titanic (1997), but larger parts did not become the pattern. We would welcome a part that let her keep that physical authority without having to establish everything in a hurry. Start with Aliens, where her physical commitment gives us reason to wish Cameron had written Vasquez a little more generously.
Biography
Jenette Goldstein is an American actress. Born on 4 February 1960 in Los Angeles, California, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and at Circle in the Square Theater in New York.
She is known for her collaborations with director James Cameron. Goldstein played Private Vasquez in Aliens (1986), for which she won a Saturn Award, Janelle Voight in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and an Irish mother in Titanic (1997). Other film roles include Diamondback in Near Dark (1987) and Meagan Shapiro in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). She has also appeared in guest roles on television series including ER, Six Feet Under and 24.
Goldstein is the owner of Jenette Bras, a specialist bra and swimwear retailer.
