Now it may seem unthinkable, but in the cinema Avatar it took effort to get his leading lady. Throughout 2009, James Cameron struggled to find the perfect actor to embody the already iconic Jake Sully. However, he had to go through many difficult schedules and different points of view of the actors who chose the role in order to achieve this.
FROM Matt Damon, Chris Pratt, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Channing Tatum and Jake Gyllenhaal. The director sought to find the face of the central character of his work. Something that obsessed him, especially since by that time he already imagined something more than just one film. In an interview for Empire In 2021, the director commented that by that time he was already carefully analyzing something more than a “unique story”. Which included a cast that could fulfill his long-term vision for the story. Avatar.
Cameron, who worked on the idea Avatar From the perception of a multiple work, he needed a main character embodying a certain prototype of the hero. Someone who, despite his physical strength and military discipline, was a sensitive person who was able to understand Pandora.
The director’s extraordinary universe was more than just a journey through a new world. It was also an exploration of an entirely new way of thinking about ecology. So Cameron needed to support this version through the interaction of the protagonist with the environment.
looking for a face Avatar
But the process turned out to be more difficult than Cameron could have imagined. Pratt and Pine have said in various interviews that their auditions were unsuccessful. The former admitted that his experience was “unfortunate”, especially since the role required physical time far removed from his own.
“I was overweight and I felt insecure,” the actor said. “I didn’t really take care of myself physically, I had relationships where we, you know, drank a lot. Between and I immediately started sweating. The casting assistant started filming and I knew I would never get the part. I saw that there was literally nothing convincing about my audition,” Pratt added.
On the other hand, pine he forgot his lines and ended up improvising, with bad results. “I walked into that room in complete disbelief. How dare I get this poor casting director to watch me? Halfway I stopped; maybe he was smiling or laughing at me. I wasn’t offended because I realized he was probably pretty bad and we were done with it, I shook his hand and left.”
James Cameron also starred in Empire the way he tried, by non-standard means for that time, to attract Matt Damon to the cast. The director offered the actor a 10 percent share in the profits Avatar. But Damon turned down the Bourne saga. Cameron admitted that by that time he “began to worry.” Finally, Jake Gyllenhaal turned down an offer to star Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Which opened the door for Sam Worthington to play the role.
The curious story of an actor who achieved his dream role
For Cameron, Sam Worthington was the “perfect” choice. In fact, he has repeatedly assured that he is the type of actor who, in his opinion, needs to be Avatar and his history. By that time Worthington he was unemployed and lived in his car. The translator has repeatedly said that he experienced what, according to him, was “one of the worst moments in his life.”
But Cameron, after ridicule and interviews with a lot of the most important actors of the time in Hollywood, made up his mind. “I wanted the audience to think of a person who is really confused. It would allow us to understand Jake Sully as the character that he was. Instead of associating it with the actor’s previous roles,” the director explained Empire. Which, in the end, gave Worthington a chance for a lifetime to become a leader in Avatar.
Long way to Pandora
Avatar: Path of Water is about to be released and will no doubt be a milestone in cinema. At least show if more than a decade of James Cameron’s efforts have been worth it. But whatever happens during its December premiere, one thing remains clear. This is a large-scale project, which, of course, is destined to amaze the public.
Also to show that the attention to detail that Cameron brings to his films goes a long way. Something that is of particular interest when choosing their rolls. Would have the same innocent impact Avatar with a famous actor? A question of interest to the global universe of history.
