Stuntmen filling in for the movie star, and special effects removing reality to make the impossible come alive – while these elements are part and parcel of a Hollywood extravaganza, the stars of James Cameron’s Avatar: First and Ash – Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Cliff Curtis (Tonowari) and Jack Champion (Spider) want to clear the air. While the film, about an alien species attempting to fend off human invaders attempting to strip the planet, Pandora, of its natural resources, focuses on special effects, including a digital environment to give life to an alien world, the actors did all the hard work, from acting, the motion capture, to the stunt work that includes actually diving and filming underwater.
When asked whether they missed out on traditional stunt work, Worthington was quick to set the record straight.
“We do every single thing that you see,” he emphasized in an exclusive Avatar: First and Ash interview of the three stars during the film’s New Zealand Red Carpet Premiere.
“Most actors on a big action movie do one big stunt, maybe two. We in one movie do what basically amounts to their whole career. We get to go underwater, fly these magical birds, do fight scenes on floating mountains. We’re not standing by a mic doing voice work. We actually do everything.”
Champion added with a laugh, “It was fun because the amount of fights between Quaritch and Jake I’d always see Sam and Stephen Lang just duking it out, and you’d hear these old man grunts.”
Curtis nodded in agreement: “Plenty of action. We didn’t miss out on any action at all.”
Since its revolutionary debut in 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar film series has enthralled audiences worldwide by transporting audiences to another planet filled with breathtaking visuals, crafted by the director’s powerful storytelling offering deep emotional resonance. As the franchise continues to expand, so do the demands and experiences for its cast, who not only navigate the technical marvels of Pandora but also the strong emotional journeys that also sets the series apart from other Hollywood blockbuster, Worthington reveals.
“The great thing is that Jim [Cameron] understands that if you have an emotional scene between a father and a son, husband and a wife, sometimes they can be way more impactful. So to me, they’re the most challenging.”
Jack Champion added another layer: “There’s a lot of emotional scenes that happen underwater, and that was a challenge I never thought I’d have to do as an actor, but it was really a cool hurdle to figure out and to convey emotion 30 feet in the water.”
Cliff Curtis, meanwhile, recalled one particularly tough day: “I decided to sort of get up on the tips of my toes while riding this thing, and do this strange squatty sort of thing, and then I got stuck there with my knees to do it. That was a tough day at work, but I think I was pretty happy with the result.”
In an earlier and separate interview, Cameron did reveal that while five Avatar movies were previously announced, this third chapter does bring closure to the current storyline, and while portions of the fourth movie have been filmed, due to the aging of its young actors such as Champion, it’s not a guarantee that they will be made, of it they could be handed over to another director. So would the actors want to continue on without the King of the World at the helm?
Worthington was understanding of the current dilemma. “When you spend 20 years of your life on a project, put your heart and soul into it, I think you need time to reflect. That’s where Jim’s at the moment.”
Curtis added, “He’s made huge sacrifices to make this happen. The level of care he puts into the work, I imagine he needs a bit of a holiday, a break, and then circle back.”
The interview wasn’t without its lighthearted moments. When asked who would survive the Metkayina initiation, the cast joked and playfully passed the crown between each other, culminating in tales of their real-life underwater stunts.
“We actually did those things. We had these jet things, we dive into the water, and there’s a jet, and you hold on, and it’s actually happening,” said Curtis.
On breath-holding prowess, Curtis mentioned: “I think I got pretty good at a certain point. But you know, Kate [Winslet] was well and above everybody.“ While Champion boasted: “I only got 5 minutes and 33 seconds,” to which Curtis replied, “I got around about that time.”
The Avatar franchise continues to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling, not only through visuals but also through the sweat, emotion, and heart brought forth by its dedicated cast and visionary director. As the world of Pandora looks to the future, it seems the animated route might be next, either as an ongoing series or anthology, according to James Cameron.
Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.
Kevin Low
