We’ve known for a long time that Sigourney Weaver is coming back for “Avatar: The Way of Water,” but what hasn’t been clear is how as Weaver’s character, Dr. Grace Augustine, died in the first film.
Now it has been revealed in Empire that not only is she returning, but we’ve already seen her in the trailer. Turns out the actress is playing a new character – Kiri, a teenage Na’vi who is the adoptive daughter of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).
Weaver tells the outlet she was thrilled to be given that challenge by Cameron, saying how she was 5′ 10′ or 5′ 11′ when she was 11 and so knew how the character Kiri would feel awkward a lot of the time. Cameron says his “Aliens” star was more than up for it:
“As an acting challenge, it’s big. We’re gonna have a 60-something actor playing a character [decades younger than] her actual biological age. Sig thought it was all kinds of fun. [She] just became younger. She looked younger, she had more energy, and she never quite stepped out of Kiri for our whole capture period. She had a glow on her face and lightness in her step and a fun spirit.”
Weaver also trained with elite military divers and learned how to hold her breath underwater for six minutes while filming one scene in the movie.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” opens in cinemas on December 16th.
