Sigourney Weaver returns for James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” albeit as a whole new character since her first film role of Dr. Grace Augustine died.
72-year-old Weaver plays Kiri, a teenage Na’vi who is the adoptive daughter of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). We’ve seen the character in posters and the first trailer, but that’s about it.
Talking with Interview magazine, she says the role was her “biggest stretch” to date, but it sounds like she relished the challenge:
“It’s the biggest stretch I get to play in every possible way. I think if Jim Cameron didn’t know me really well, he wouldn’t have cast me as something as goofy as this.
I know he’s going to present me with really unique challenges, and he’s not going to be shy about getting what he wants. [I get to] work in a completely different way to play this character, a very physical way.”
With the role, she had to do parkour, burpees, and freediving in preparation and learned how to hold her breath for six-and-a-half minutes:
“Don’t you love these jobs where you have to learn some really outlandish thing that you keep with you for the rest of your life? Freediving, especially, I’m grateful that we spent a year doing that.”
Cameron has previously spoken about how Weaver thorough enjoyed herself, saying “Sig thought it was all kinds of fun” when discussing her involvement.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is set a decade after the events of the original film and begins when an ancient threat resurfaces, leading Jake to fight a difficult war against humans.
