00:00When we did the first movie, I don't think anyone, we had no inclination of kind of continuing it.
00:04So when Jim called up many years later and said, I've got an idea of how to develop this into a saga,
00:10that's very exciting. And to use that love story as the basis is great because it naturally progresses to a family.
00:17It's time to return to Pandora for Avatar Fire and Ash,
00:21which marks the third film in the beloved and groundbreaking franchise.
00:25The stars of the movie, as well as director James Cameron, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter all about the new film.
00:31It really feels like this movie is the most intense and emotional Avatar movie so far.
00:36It sees Neytiri grieving the death of one of her sons.
00:40What was it like taking these characters to this emotional place?
00:43It was difficult. These are not emotions that actors are skipping to work to incarnate.
00:50But I feel really comforted by the fact that I was able to do it with Sam and Jim.
00:57This movie, we're taking those emotions and these characters more complex and deeper.
01:02So when you're doing the battle scenes, they're constructed in a way where they have to be very precise to be safe.
01:10But when we're doing the ones with each other, there's a freedom to it.
01:15And we don't know where each actor is going to take it.
01:18And they're emotionally charged and they're emotionally true.
01:21I feel they portray these people in this marriage with such honesty and such courage.
01:28And it really takes my breath away.
01:30I mean, you don't have many action films that are so satisfying and moving on so many levels.
01:37This one, I just felt like it was time to shift the emphasis to the people, to the family.
01:43We know these characters now. We've known them long enough.
01:45We can go, you know, into deeper places with them and put it all in jeopardy.
01:51So it's not just about having a big fight and see who lives and who dies, right?
01:54It's more about their heart, their soul is in jeopardy, right?
01:58And we want to see them heal.
02:00We want to come out of it with some hope.
02:02And I know I give it all away, but, you know, I'm a sucker for a happy ending, within reason.
02:08What do I want?
02:11What you've never had.
02:15An equal.
02:18The new film introduces the Ash People, led by Varong, played by Una Chaplin.
02:23You're a new character in this movie, but your face is the big one on the poster.
02:27It's the big one on the billboards.
02:29What's it like driving around L.A. and seeing your face on these big billboards?
02:33I've received the pictures of the billboards and stuff from, like, my mother-in-law and, like, you know, my friends.
02:38But, you know, I live out in the country and I never leave my house because there's a lot of gardening to do.
02:43But it's amazing, you know?
02:45It's been such a gift.
02:47And I was actually, I was talking to Deborah Scott Lee, who designed the costumes, you know, and a lot of it is, like, people were out on the carpet last night dressed as Varong.
02:55You know, they haven't even seen the movie.
02:57This has been such an incredible piece of collaboration.
02:59I just love the fact that I get to go on this ride because I really put my heart and soul into it.
03:05And I enjoyed it very, very much.
03:07But then, you know, the artists down the line, they really made her have so much flair.
03:13And I just love her.
03:14I mean, I was looking up at myself on screen and I'm like, whoa, that's cool, you know?
03:19That's so cool.
03:20Stephen and Una, you share so many scenes together in this film.
03:24What was it like working together on this?
03:26It gets said in the scene.
03:27I say, you know, you want something, I've got something that you've never had, an equal.
03:34And that kind of feeling of equality, the shifting of power within the scene itself.
03:41Well, I shouldn't say that because she wields all the power in the scene, it seems to me.
03:46But there's a certain power in becoming submissive.
03:51And you never think of Korich as a submissive character.
03:55So it's wonderful to be able to add these new colors, you know, with her.
03:58Everyone who's worked on the film has such amazing things to say about James Cameron as a director.
04:14What's it like working with him?
04:16And is there one note he's given you over the years that's really stuck with you as just the best note he's ever given you?
04:21I love when he says, I don't know, but let's try it.
04:26Okay, you want to try it, kiddo?
04:28I'm like, yep.
04:29I just, I love that he never makes you feel like you're in the way that you are creating an imposition by being curious, by asking a question, by making a suggestion.
04:45He welcomes it so much.
04:47And I need to work with directors like that because I care so deeply.
04:51When I do care, I care so very deeply.
04:54And I'm coming to work with so much passion and so many ideas and so many questions and with the best of intentions.
05:05So when I feel really seen and appreciated and valued like that, it's healing.
05:12Unlike what a lot of people have thought, this is not a technological process.
05:19The technology happens so far away and so we're at a kind of early theater rehearsal going for it.
05:26And Jim's right there with us.
05:28So his belief in us, his protection of us is so ongoing, it just spoils you.
05:35Why do you think actors love working with you as a director?
05:37I think it's because I give them a lot of free reign and then I'll just come in and I'll speak from the character.
05:48So I think being a writer is critical.
05:51I think if I was just a hired gun visual director, this wouldn't work the same way because the visual stuff is like the camera style, the lighting and all that sort of stuff.
06:00And I shovel that all off to later and I take that all off them so they're not waiting around.
06:07They're not in their trailer waiting for us to light the reverse, you know.
06:12They're just always on and they're always in a close-up too.
06:15So it's like, guys, you're served, you're in a close-up all the time, you've got to bring it.
06:19But it's trust, right?
06:20It's about trust.
06:21It's about them going through the process and trusting the outcome.
06:25This world goes much deeper than you imagined.
06:39As Avatar Fire and Dash is being released, the future of the franchise is up in the air.
06:44As Cameron has said that the box office performance of this film will determine whether or not he makes his planned fourth and fifth movies.
06:51I mean, look, I'd love to have the opportunity.
06:54It's a crackling good story for, you know, I mean, I have no bones about that story.
07:02I know it's a strong story.
07:03And it takes Spider way far from what you think, ideally in a good way.
07:09But that said, you know, I mean, you're keenly aware, working for The Hollywood Reporter, that, you know, the landscape is changing.
07:17The ground is shifting under our feet in terms of the theatrical marketplace.
07:21And is that still going to be a thing?
07:23Is that still even going to exist by the time I could get those movies done?
07:28And the business model of an Avatar movie is being threatened simply by that contraction of the theatrical marketplace.
07:36And by the fact that at this very same time we're losing revenue, costs are going up continuously, especially in VFX, which is where we spend most of our money.
07:46The performance capture work is relatively inexpensive, much, much cheaper than live action production.
07:51And it really gives us a chance to be creative and to take our time, you know, in making two and three together as one production.
07:59We spent 18 months with, you know, Sigourney and Sam and Zoe and all the others just getting it right, you know.
08:06And it's unhurried, it's creative, it's playful, it's like theater rehearsal, you know.
08:14It's really quite a wonderful experience.
08:16The actors love it, I love it, as a writer-director, because I'm creating these characters and watching them bring them to life, you know.
08:25It's a joyful process.
08:27Avatar Fire and Dash hits theaters December 19th.
08:30For much more on the film, go to THR.com.
08:32For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
