Sam WorthingtonandZoe Saldaña’s working relationship began like a movie meet-cute.
“We met at a hotel bar,” recalls Worthington of their 2006 introduction, ahead of theirAvatarscreen test. “I said to [director James Cameron], ‘Can I meet the person that you want to play Neytiri? Because I’d like to audition with them. I think that will help me get the part.’ So I met Zoe, wooed her, charmed her and then found out a bit later that she had no idea what I was saying,” he says. “She couldn’t understand my accent.”
Saldaña’s version is slightly different: “Listen to him: ‘I talked to her, wooed her.‘I’mthe one who’s the Chatty Cathy. But it’s true— he would talk, and I had no idea what he was saying,” she says with a laugh. “The Australian accent was unfamiliar to me. And he spoke really fast.”
Zoe McConnell
Initial communication issues aside, the two stars have been friends ever since.Avatar’s 2009 release was the biggest box office hit of all time and as their careers have thrived, they’ve stayed connected and enjoyed watching each other’s families grow. Worthington, 46, and his wife, Lara, are parents to sons Rocket, 7, Racer, 6, and River, 2, while Saldaña, 44, and husband Marco Perego share twins Bowie and Cy, 8, and Zen, 5.
Adds Worthington: “Yeah, and she’s like my sister. It’s very weird that we [film] these love affairs together.”
Worthington and Saldaña admit that in returning to Jake and Neytiri 15 years later, some of their training took a little longer to adjust to, but Saldaña has not lost her touch with a bow and arrow.
Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century Studios
“It did take a little more time for my body to assimilate, to return to some of the exercises and the practices,” says the actress. “But I’m proud of the fact that Jim [Cameron] has lost bets of whether or not I can hit a mark [with my archery]. I think the first time was a hundred bucks?““Yeah. He lost a lot of money betting against Zoe,” adds Worthington. “The bets slowly went down because you were getting better.”
Cameron’s filming process for bothAvatarfilms is known for being immersive and highly-technical.The Way of Watertook three years to film, including thosehighly-publicized underwater sequencesthe actors performed in motion-capture suits. What was it like for the stars watching each other work in such high-tech environments?
Counterclockwise from left: Kate Winslet, Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Cliff Curtis.Mark Fellman
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“Performance capture is like an extension of makeup,” says Worthington. “Once you strip away all the technology and being underwater, it’s just about doing your job. Every time Zoe cries, that’s a true tear. It’s not animated. It’s her performance coming through technology, and I get a front-row seat. I get to see many different takes that Zoe puts into the scene, the many different versions and journeys, and I journey with it. That’s always exciting with someone like Zoe, because we get to play.”
source: people.com
