James Cameron Shut Down Sigourney Weaver's Insecurities On The Set Of Avatar: The Way Of Water

In "Avatar: The Way of Water," James Cameron is reunited once again with his longtime friend and frequent collaborator, Sigourney Weaver. Though her initial character, Doctor Grace Augustine, didn't survive the events of the first film, her body and spirit became part of Pandora through a Na'vi ritual. In the long-awaited sequel to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldana) story, the two have formed a large family to take care of, and Weaver will be taking on the role of their adopted Na'vi daughter, Kiri.

It initially sounds strange to cast Sigourney Weaver as a 14-year-old, but as the marketing for "The Way of Water" seems to imply, the character of Kiri might be at the center of the sequel's mystery box: is she a reincarnated version of Grace Augustine? "I feel her! I hear her heartbeat," Kiri tells Jake Sully in an intimate beat of the newest trailer. Whoever Kiri truly is, she's the face on the posters and seemingly the central character of the "Avatar" sequel, which puts a great amount of pressure on Weaver's ability to bridge the newest era of sequels with the first film. Cameron has expensive plans for the future of "Avatar," and only Ewya knows if he's going to be able to accomplish his vision.

If Cameron is known for anything, it's his daring amount of confidence. According to the behind-the-scenes feature in this month's issue of D23 magazine, when Weaver expressed some insecurities embodying Kira on set for "Avatar: The Way of Water," Cameron quickly shut her down.

It might come as a shock that such an experienced actress like Weaver could get stuck playing a character, but the newest "Avatar" sequel was filmed on a set like no other — motion-captured with brand-new underwater tech that's never been attempted before. Portraying a brand new character in a new environment, Weaver explained she was "agony about Kiri," and due to a lack of feedback from Cameron, she had "no idea what was actually coming across." Frustrated with the lack of direction, Weaver confronted Cameron about how directionless she felt towards the material, and Cameron's response brought her back into shape:

"Jim just turned and said in a serious voice, 'You have to stop being insecure. It's really inappropriate for who you are, how old you are, and what you've done in your career.' So, that shut me up. I heard him loud and clear."

Another example of wacky, unconventional wisdom from James Cameron. Love him or hate him, his confidence doesn't just extend to his own self, but also his actors. It was really important to Cameron that Weaver would insert her own qualities into Kira, and his general lack of guidance he gave to Weaver was an unspoken declaration of trust in her ability to find the character on her own.

"It was a great privilege to be able to play this fantastic character who bridges these different worlds. It's also nice reuniting with an old friend. He said, 'I know you can do this, because you really are immature; you are a 14-year-old.' I would say the same thing about him. He may be 16 years old."

Friendly teasing aside, Cameron clearly has a lot of respect for Weaver and her craft, and one of the benefits of mo-cap technology is that your appearance doesn't matter so much as the emotional authenticity of your performance. As a fellow creative, Cameron knows that Weaver has an inner child inside her, and he deeply encouraged her to let it out when playing Kira in this film.

"He teases me quite a bit, but I also trust him," Weaver continued, "he always knew what he needed and took the time to get us there. He listens to his actors. He really wants us to weave ourselves together with our characters."

Weaver was always capable of finding Kira within herself, and since the tone of "Avatar" is so uniquely spiritual and emotional, he can only guide Weaver so much. Sometimes, tough love shows us the way forward. 

We're excited to see Weaver's portrayal of Kiri and find out who she truly is when "Avatar: The Way of Water" opens in theaters on December 16, 2022.