Sigourney Weaver praises Jennifer Lawrence

Actress Sigourney Weaver has bestowed praise on actress Jennifer Lawrence saying she is "brilliant".

Weaver, who stars in new sci-fi film "Chappie", has expressed her admiration for current young film stars, many of whom live their lives under constant scrutiny, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

In particular, Weaver complimented Lawrence for how she coped with the fallout from the photo-hacking scandal last year.

"There is now escape now. It's something actors need to figure out ho to combat, as it doesn't serve anyone to have privacy invaded to such an extent. She (Lawrence) is brilliant, leave her alone," she told Sunday Times newspaper.

As a child, Weaver had a massive crush on actor Steve McQueen and the hacking scandal caused her to consider how times have changed.

The actress, who is set to appear in a new instalment in the "Alien" franchise, said: "Would I have tried to hound Steve McQueen to see nude pictures? Probably not. I wanted him on a pedestal, frankly. I didn't want him to be like you and me."

About her obsession with the actor, she added: "I wanted to know everything about him."