Why guy pearce is in the film for "just a minute"

[marsekay]

Now this quote does make sense if the following theory is correct,

Weyland is awoken later in the mission by David, after the original team find something he can find "usefull", probaly for his immortaility wish/peter pan complex.
So hes turning up properly mid 2nd act i assume,

He's then led out to get his "usefull" item which i assume will be a fully functioning SJ suit.
He then dons said suit,  and it fuses with him creating the "big bald blue guy"tm then sets about trying to figure out how to fly the Derelict Ship, all the while having David along with him to help him work it out (scenes of blue guy and david in the orrery, Weyland heads off to earth and davids none too happy about it and leaves weyland to inform the rest of the crew just what the hell hes up to)

Now as soon as the fusion scene takes place (weyland into SJ suit) he becomes taller and "different" and then is played by one of those "body" actors, such as that 7" tall Ian Whyte guy,

Therefore Guy Pierce himself, is in the film for "only a minute" but his CHARACTER is in a lot of the film as Weyland played by different actors.

Please bear in mind this is all my theories, and could all be completely wrong!

[Cvalda]

I'm thinking he said he's in the film for only a minute because we get a brief glimpse of him as young Weyland via archival footage and that's it. Rest of the film will be him buried under old age makeup and not taking credit, like Gary Oldman in Hannibal and Edward Norton in Kingdom of Heaven.

[NGR01]

That answer was clearly misdirection and/or a joke.
Remember that Scott was not very happy when it leaked that Pierce was in the movie.
He's also avoiding to talk about him now that the cat is out of the bag.

To me he's way more than one minute into the movie.
I also doubt that Scott would hire Pierce to have him replaced by some creature actor.
Event if his character ends up being a giant, they would rather rely on LOTR techniques than replace him.
Especially if his face is very recognizable under the makeup wich look to be the case.

But the whole point of the human sized human/synth Engineer we have seen is that it makes it easier to have a famous actor playing the role against other human characters.
Either Fassbender or Pierce.

[RustiSwordz]

In the full IMAX teaser or TV spot 2, you can clearly see an aged  spacesuited Weyland surrounded by his guards in the middle of the battle in the Prometheus landing bay.  He is also the man in the wheel chair in the clip where the bloodied bandaged Shaw collapses into the room. Hes in this a lot longer than a minuite.