Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington discuss the script for “Avatar: The Way of Water” and James Cameron at the launch of “Avatar: The Way of Water”.
On December 14, “Avatar: The Way of Water” by Oscar winner James Cameron (68) will start in German cinemas. In the “Avatar” sequel, Hollywood stars Zoe Saldana (44) and Sam Worthington (46) once again use motion capture to become the blue Na’vi natives of the moon Pandora. In the meantime, things have changed for the characters they play, Jake Sully and Neytiri: They have become parents – and have to protect their family of five when people return to Pandora after a long absence with murderous intentions.
In an interview with the news agency spot on news, Saldana and Worthington talk about the technically challenging shooting of “Avatar 2”, the development of their characters and their great idol James Cameron.
“Avatar” from 2009 has become the highest-grossing film in cinema history to date. Was that what you envisioned when you agreed to do the film a long time ago?
Zoe Saldana: I was just happy to work with one of my idols. James Cameron is the person behind Ellen Ripley from Alien and Sarah Connor from Terminator. As a child, these were my heroines. Because of these iconic figures, I became an actress in the first place. So I was just grateful when he chose me. When “Avatar” became so significant and resonated so much around the world, it was a dream come true for me.
The underwater scenes in “Avatar: The Way of Water” were physically challenging for you. They were filming in a huge water tank at a depth of nine meters – and had to hold their breath for minutes. How did you do that?
Worthington: The secret is the higher oxygen content of the blood. In our atmosphere, which we breathe in every day, the proportion of oxygen is 24 percent. Under water we had up to 60 percent oxygen in our blood.
You can think of it like a video game. Air enriched with oxygen charges a huge bar of energy. This gives you a larger window to capture the scene. If you then calm your pulse and mind, you can stay underwater for minutes.
However, such underwater scenes have never been tried before. It’s great to be a part of something so groundbreaking that people think, wow, how did you do that?
Underwater drones were also used during filming when your characters ride Pandora’s animals in the film?
Worthington: Yes, there were different types of drones. There were these submersible jet skis – you could call them that. When our characters ride the creatures underwater in the film, people rode the jet skis during the filming, steered them, and we as actors rode on them again.
Saldana: Shooting underwater was very demanding. A lot of training and preparation was required. However, we never felt unsafe. Our stunt team was freediving experts and the film crew was used to shooting underwater. Everyone looked out for the other.
In Avatar: The Way of Water, humans return to Pandora with sinister intentions. What makes them even more dangerous in the second part than in “Avatar”?
Worthington: Well, the earth is dying, so there’s no going back for it. In this part, the idea of complete colonization is much more in the foreground than in the first part, when it was still primarily about mining the mineral unobtainium. Now the people of Pandora are discovering things that will empower their machines and their technology even more. So the people in “Avatar 2” definitely pose a bigger threat, precisely because they have nothing left to lose.
How have your characters Jake and Neytiri fared between the two films? What happened in the meantime?
Worthington: James Cameron wrote Avatar 1.5 to tell us actors exactly that. It’s a fully fleshed out, detailed script about the battles Jake and Neytiri have had in the meantime, how their love story has progressed and how they have built a family.
At the beginning of “Avatar: The Way of Water” they have… well, not five children, but five members in their family. They adopt the girl Kiri [gespielt von Sigourney Weaver], have three children of their own, and then there’s a stray who always hangs out with the Na’vi kids and his name is Spider. So this movie is about how they deal with that unit and how they protect that unit.
Your characters Jake and Neytiri are often busy raising children in “Avatar 2”. Your kids don’t really want to listen to you. Do you recognize that as a result of your personal experience as a parent?
Worthington: I recognize my own experience as a teenager in that. I felt a bit like an outsider and didn’t know who I was. That’s why I rebelled against everything as a teenager. And I think Jake and Neytiri don’t want their kids to imitate them and become warriors because that would put them in danger. I love the scene when Neytiri says to Jake don’t treat the kids like a military man. This makes him a lot softer.
Saldana: Absolutely. The fear of losing the children is much greater than simply letting them be free. But parental love should not spring from fear.
In “Avatar 2” Sigourney Weaver plays her 14-year-old adopted daughter Kiri.
Worthington: That sounds crazy (laughs).
In your eyes, did she manage to portray a teenager?
Saldana: Sigourney Weaver is very extraordinary in “Avatar 2”. In any case, she made it. Because she is not only an excellent actress and very disciplined, she was also 14 years old once. She revisited this experience and it was wonderful to watch her process. We basically just played the dynamic that James Cameron had built between Neytiri and Kiri. That was wonderful.
James Cameron recently stated that he can even imagine “Avatar 6 and 7” – beyond the four sequels now planned up to “Avatar 5”. According to his calculations, the final film would then be completed in 20 years. Would you still be there for “Avatar 6 and 7”?
Worthington: I would always be in front of the camera for James Cameron – come what may (laughs).
Saldana: Why not? Even if I’m in a wheelchair, they’re supposed to push me onto the set. Filming “Avatar” was a unique experience for me. If I could do that for the rest of my life, that would be a great gift. The film business can be so fleeting sometimes. Often you have a special experience during filming, but then you never get back together for a sequel afterwards. What made Avatar 2 special for me is that we all deeply appreciate this story and this world. We as performers can therefore be part of something really special. It’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of “Avatar”.