The young stars of Avatar 2: The Way of Water talk about working with director James Cameron. The 2009 film Avatar, starring Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington as Neytiri and Jake, became a cultural sensation upon its release and introduced audiences to the stunning planet Pandora. The highly anticipated sequel, which has been in the works for over a decade, will once again follow Neytiri and Jake as they try to raise and protect their growing family. With that focus, Avatar: The Way of Water will feature several young actors including Jamie Flutters, Britannia Dalton, Chloe Coleman, Trinity Jo-Lee Bliss and Bailey Bass.
Flutters will play Jake and Neytiri's eldest biological son, Netiam, in the film's sequel, while Dalton, Colman, Bliss and franchise returnee Sigourney Weaver will play his adoptive and biological siblings. Bass will play Cirea, the daughter of Kate Winslet's character Ronal and Cliff Curtis' character Tonowari. As the next generation of Na'vi, the new actors have the difficult task of continuing Cameron's Avatar franchise with four more films. In a conversation with The Hindu, Bass and Flutters discussed working with Cameron, talking about the supportive atmosphere he created on set and his detail-oriented approach that still left room for actors to "boldly make bold decisions" during filming. See what the actors had to say below:
bass: “What I love about Jim [Cameron] is that whenever I'm filming an emotional scene, he comes and whispers to me. He understands the tone, but it makes me feel very protective because there is a fine line between an actor and a person. And if I go too far, the experience will take a toll on me and my mental health personally.”
Fluttershy: “He likes his actors to be people who have the courage to make bold decisions. Jim then takes all of this and adds chaos and risk to their performance. Sometimes he wanted something very specific and precise, really micro-detailed, and that was always interesting.”
Jake and Neytiri's children are the future of the Avatar franchise
Cameron's trust in the young actors is evidenced by comments from Bass and Flutters that the director believes in them taking risks while filming and being emotionally committed to their scenes. Their description of the set environment is promising for the Avatar franchise, which is set to last five films and possibly more. With multiple Avatar sequels being filmed simultaneously, Cameron and the studio had already made significant investments in the developing franchise even before the release of Avatar: The Way of Water.
Saldaña and Worthington will star in most, if not all, of the Avatar sequels, but the younger actors offer new opportunities for growth in future films. Although Avatar received widespread critical acclaim, some viewers felt that the plot was boring and clichéd, and Avatar: The Way of Water has received similar comments since its early debut. Future films could expand the scope by focusing on the next generation of Na'vi children, which could create room for more complex storylines in subsequent films.
As the first mixed native Na'vi and human children, Jake and Neytiri's children will have a unique set of circumstances to navigate and huge shoes to fill in terms of their parents' legacies. Additionally, the compelling connection between their adopted daughter Kiri (Weaver) and Weaver's deceased character in Avatar sets up another point that could be explored further in future films. With Avatar: The Way of Water set for box office success when it releases later this month, it's likely that the young Avatar actors will have plenty of time to delve into their characters' compelling storylines, and given their reported comfort level on set, Avatar 5 may not be the end of the road for the franchise's new actors.
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