Sigourney Weaver Steps Back Into Kiri’s World in Avatar Sequel
Sigourney Weaver returns as Kiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, reuniting with James Cameron and reflecting on the unique challenge of playing a teenager once more.
Sci-fi icon Sigourney Weaver is gearing up to revisit Pandora, taking on the role of Kiri in the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash. Kiri, the adopted daughter of Jake Sully and Neytiri, is the biological child of Dr. Grace Augustine’s Na’vi Avatar, which explains Weaver’s return to the franchise after her original turn as Augustine in the first film.
Back With Cameron: A Familiar Team
Weaver’s partnership with director James Cameron is nothing new. Their creative paths have crossed several times, from the original Avatar to The Way of Water, and even further back to the 1986 classic Aliens. At a recent press event for Avatar: Fire and Ash, Weaver shared her thoughts on working with Cameron over the years.
“It’s been one of the greatest gifts to work with James Cameron again and again and again,”
she said, reflecting on their long-standing collaboration.
She went on to talk about the challenge of stepping into the shoes of a 14-year-old character.
“I have to say that becoming a 14-year-old and getting back into that space, which for me was a challenging time, I’m so grateful that I know from the beginning that Jim has children, and this is also inspired by his life. And he loves his actors, and he gives us such a feeling of safety and encouragement in exploring every aspect of a scene.”
On-Set Atmosphere: Then and Now
Weaver didn’t shy away from comparing her experiences on different Cameron sets.
“We have a lot of fun,”
she said, before adding,
“On Aliens, we didn’t really have fun because we were really up against it, but that wasn’t our fault.”
Cameron himself chimed in,
“It was less fun, trust me.”
Despite the tough times, Weaver still looks back fondly on their earlier work.
“But a great movie, nevertheless. And to have the opportunity to come back and work with Jim again and again, it’s just been the greatest artistic present, and it was always my greatest goal, even when I started out, was to work with the same people again and again. I just thought that sounded nice and normal. And, of course, we’re not in a normal world, but I feel so safe that I was able to not play a teenager, but really find my teenager again. And so thank you.”
Weaver’s Transformation: Praise From Cameron
Cameron had his own words of admiration for Weaver’s performance.
“You did it. When you walked into the Volume where we capture, you just were younger in spirit, in movement, and everything,”
he remarked.
“I don’t even know how aware of that you were. And, of course, you weren’t playing somebody who was having a happy teenage life. You were remembering and sort of re-channeling a tough time in your life, but you were younger. I don’t mean like two years younger. I mean like 40 years younger. It was amazing.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to land in cinemas on December 19. For those keen on what’s next, there’s plenty more on the horizon for film fans this year and beyond.