More than ten years after the record release James CameronX AvatarOscar-winning director brings us back to Pandora in a highly anticipated sequel. Avatar: Path of Water. The first of four sequels planned by Cameron will take fans on a journey from the dense jungles of Omaticaya to the open ocean of the Metkaine clan.
Sam WorthingtonJake Sully and Zoe SaldanhaX Neytiri is now the leader of the Omaticaya clan and has spent the years following the events of the first film rebuilding her home and raising her family. When the Sky People return to Pandora to continue their destructive pursuit of lunar resources and the moon itself, Jake is faced with a difficult decision. With four children, including adopted daughter Kiri, played by Sigourney WeaverJake decides to flee with his family to protect his people from Rescue Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and RDA.
ahead Avatar: Path of Waterofficial theatrical release December 16, Collider’s Perry Nemiroff was able to sit down with Worthington and Saldanha to discuss the film. During their interview, Worthington reveals that Cameron gave him Avatar 1.5 a script that talks about what happened between those first two films. They also discuss how the experience of working with Cameron has changed since the first film, the challenges of filming underwater, and the deep passion for the material that everyone has brought to the set. You can watch the interview in full in the video above, or read the full transcript below.
PERRY NEMIROFF: We got a rough idea of what happened between the first and second movies for your characters, but I’m wondering if there are any smaller backstory details that you’ve come up with that we could now feel about reporting on your acting in this movie?
SAM WORTHINGTON: Look, I’ll give you this. Jim [Cameron] gave us a script 1.5 what he wrote that shows the time between Avatar as well as Avatar: Path of Water. And he wrote the full script, gave it to me and said, “Look, read this. It will fill in the gaps in what Jake was doing.” And I said, “When are we going to film this? Because it’s amazing.” He says, “No, no. This is what I wrote over the past year to give you his backstory.” And then I lent it to Zoe.
SALDANA: It was amazing.
WORTHINGTON: And I think you’ve lost it.
SALDANA: No, I have it! I just didn’t return it. [Laughs]
Are there any specific details you can share?
WORTHINGTON: It was more about what they went through as a couple because their relationship developed towards the end of the first, but it was literally about them…
SALDANA: War. The war continued.
WORTINGTON: …children, completion and all, and war. This gave us a good starting point of where they were.
It’s not that his plan isn’t ambitious enough, but you make the next films and then come back and do a whole series of 1.5.
WORTHINGTON: Yes, it’s crazy that he wrote it. But he needed it just to know where Pandora had evolved and where this love story had gone.
I read a quote that James said about himself. He said he tried to be more emotional for the team in this film. Have you both felt this, and if so, how has his approach as an actor-director changed?
WORTINGTON: He’s the best director among the actors.
SALDANA: Yes, it is. He is the best director among the actors. For the second time, a feeling of family appears, which seemed to me a natural continuation of what began back in 2006, 2007. Jim is like good wine. It just gets better with time, you know what I mean? It just keeps getting better and better and better. And now that it’s plant-based, oh my god, forget about it.
WORTHINGTON: Yes, he has more energy than anyone else. [Laughs]
SALDANA: [Laughs] It was wonderful. I think back in 2006 there was a huge amount of pressure to prove this concept. It was something that was conceived out of nowhere that he just [couldn’t keep] for myself. He had to bring it out. I think it was hard for all of us to understand what was on his mind. And little by little, that’s why he continued to cooperate with us and show us every process so that we understand what he was up to. By Avatar: Path of Waterdidn’t have to be proven. There was no pressure. It was just about following your heart, going back to Pandora and I think everyone was just tensing up saying, “Let’s go!”
I have another quote for Sam. I read an interview that Jamie [Flatters] did. He specifically said, “James will either make you famous or be your biggest critic. If he sees a problem, he will let you know.” But then he goes on to explain that there was once a discussion between you and James that nearly broke down and ended up with you having to meditate. FROMDid you identify exactly what the scene was and then perhaps how did you overcome and cooperate with any challenge?
WORTHINGTON: Maybe once underwater, because, frankly, you can’t communicate underwater. And you can hear Jim directing underwater, so sometimes you get a little confused about what’s going on. I don’t think it was really mediation between conflicts. I think it was more about us trying to navigate what we’re being told underwater and how to do it, and Jamie [gestures]. I think it was more like these lines than conflict.
SALDAÑA: That’s what’s great about working with someone like Jim. Jim expects you to come with your strong belief in what you are doing. Yes, there are passionate conversations that are directly related to our project, because everyone comes with a very selfless mindset. But the moment he screams, “This is the end,” you don’t take anything home with you, because it’s never about anything — it never gets personal. So there’s a lot of passion when you have a firm belief in who your character is, where you are and what you’re doing, but it kind of says, “That’s where you have to be to get here.” And he welcomes it. He’s like, “Go, go, go, go, go.” But at the end of the day, he’s still the boss, you know? And this experience only makes this project, this story better.
Avatar: Path of Water debuts in theaters on December 16. To find out more, check out our interview with James Cameron below:
Source: Collider
