Avatar 2 Cast Breakdown: See the Faces Behind All the Navi in The Way of Water
The 13-year wait is finally over. James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” is now playing in theaters, and with it comes a question moviegoers will probably be asking themselves once the credits roll: What does the cast actually look like?
In the original “Avatar,” actors such as Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Joel David Moore all appeared on screen in their own bodies for significant amounts of screen time. That’s not the case with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which, for most of its three-hour runtime, includes no human actors on-screen.
That’s not to say “Avatar: The Way of Water” is without its humans. Joel David Moore and Dileep Rao are back in brief roles as two scientists on Pandora who have allied themselves with the Na’vi. Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement are newcomers to the franchise, playing two central figures on a marine hunting vessel on Pandora. Also new are Edie Falco, playing the evil new army commander on Pandora, and Jack Champion as Spider, a teenager born on Pandora who has deep ties to Jake Sully’s Na’vi family.
The rest of the “Avatar: The Way of Water” main cast all appear as Na’vi courtesy of motion capture. See all of the faces behind the Na’vi characters in the cast breakdown below.
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
Sam Worthington returns to the “Avatar” franchise as Jake Sully, who now lives permanently as a Na’vi after his consciousness was transplanted from his human body to his Na’vi avatar at the end of the original film. Jake is the leader of the Pandora forest tribe, known as the Omaticaya people.
“We started work on it in, I think, 2015 was when I first saw things of it and 2017 was when we first started. It’s been a gradual continued process, like a big journey,” Sam Worthington told Variety of making the “Avatar” sequel. “It’s a labor of love rather than making a movie. That’s what it feels like.”
Worthington added about the film’s extensive underwater scenes, “We were doing something that had never been done before. But James Cameron and I get along because I’m fearless. If he asks me to, I’m going to dive in. I’m good at putting aside all the mechanics and just focusing on ‘What does the boss need me to do?’”
Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri
Zoe Saldaña reprises her role of Neytiri, Jake Sully’s wife and one of the best warriors among the Omaticaya people. The actor managed to hold her breath underwater for five minutes while filming diving scenes. Saldaña told Variety that getting the chance to work with James Cameron is a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration.
“I got to work with my idol at a very early stage of my career,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley, these iconic characters of the ’80s, where would I be? There are so many themes that will resonate with people, starting with the power of family… Family is not just the one that you’re born into, but it’s also the one that you choose or chooses you.”
Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch
Stephen Lang is back in villain mode as Colonel Miles Quaritch, who died at the end of the first “Avatar” film. How is Quaritch back? It’s a relatively straightforward reveal in “The Way Water,” but still one that’s best to discover in theaters. This time, however, Lang appears as a Na’vi avatar and not a human character. “Doing the water work was challenging and difficult,” he told Variety. “But we were really led by a terrific team of professionals who were with us every step of the way, making sure that we were as safe as one can possibly be when one is doing a knife fight 25 feet below the surface. I enjoyed pretty much every moment of it, even when it’s painful and even when it’s frustrating, even when I just felt things were really going to hell, you know, still, I can’t think of any place I would rather be than there.”
Sigourney Weaver as Kiri
Sigourney Weaver starred as scientist Grace Augustine in “Avatar,” but she returns in “The Way of Water” as a different character: Kiri, Jake and Neytiri’s adopted teenage daughter. Weaver told Empire magazine that it wasn’t too difficult to step into the shoes of a teenage girl. “I think we all pretty much remember what we were feeling as adolescents,” Weaver said. “I certainly do. I was 5’ 10” or 5’ 11” when I was 11. I felt strongly that Kiri would feel awkward a lot of the time. She’s searching for who she is. I was thrilled to be given that challenge by Jim.”
“As an acting challenge, it’s big,” added James Cameron, who also directed Weaver in “Aliens.” “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.”
Kate Winslet as Ronal
Kate Winslet joins the “Avatar” franchise as Ronal, a free diver of the water tribe (known in the film as the Metkayina) and the wife of the tribe’s leader Tonowari (Cliff Curtis, see below). Ronal is pregnant, but she still rides into battle to protect her homeland. “She is strong. A warrior,” Winslet told Empire magazine about her character. “Even in the face of grave danger, and with an unborn baby on board, she still joins her people and fights for what she holds most dear: her family and their home.”
Winslet set a record while filming the movie, holding her breath for seven minutes and 15 seconds. “I have the video of me surfacing saying, ‘Am I dead, have I died?’ And then going, ‘What was [my time]?’” Winslet said ahead of the movie’s opening. “Straight away I wanted to know my time. And I couldn’t believe it… The next thing I say is, ‘We need to radio set. I wanted Jim to know right away.”
Speaking to Variety ahead of “The Way of Water” release, Winslet said filming in massive water tanks was “completely amazing.” She added, “I absolutely loved it. When you’re working with real experts who know how to keep you safe and know how to teach you to maximize your fullest potential in a situation like that one, and will look after you, it was an amazing experience. It’s not something you can just try at home by yourself.”
Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
Cliff Curtis plays Tonowari, the leader of the Metkayina tribe. Think of Tonowari as the Jake Sully of his free-diving tribe. As the leader of Pandora’s water dwellers, Curtis had to train extra hard in free diving in order to look like a natural. “It’s a peak experience for me,” he told press during the film’s junket. “I just loved all of that. I loved being in the water. I found it like a real home for me that I was very, very comfortable with.”
Jamie Flatters as Neteyam
Jamie Flatters stars as Neteyam, the oldest son of Jake and Neytiri. “He wants to be a warrior like his father, but also he knows what the dangers are,” Flatters told Variety. “To get to see yourself in the film… all actors want to experience an emotion outside of themselves and something larger than the limits of who they are in the moment. To be a blue alien creature… it’s pretty cool.”
“Because I was playing the eldest son, I wanted to hit a long breath hold. But I just blacked out,” Flatters added. “That didn’t work out. I sort of lost motor control and saw God, but it felt really good afterwards.”
Britain Dalton as Lo’ak
Britain Dalton stars as Lo’ak, Jake and Neytiri’s second son who is a bit of a hot head when it comes to listening to his parents’ orders. Lo’ak is always getting into the most trouble because he can’t exactly follow his father’s rules. “He’s a rebel, sort of a guy who gets in trouble and a screw-up in that way,” Dalton told press. “He’s an outcast and he’s alone in the world.”
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuk
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss plays Tuk, Jake and Neytiri’s adorable daughter and the youngest member of the Sully family. “She does not see herself as the youngest,” the actor told Variety. “The family might be protective of her, but she sees that as underestimation. She doesn’t underestimate herself. She’s got a really big heart and is so curious. She’ll do anything to protect her family and Pandora. Seeing Tuk on the screen in her final form was incredible… I just have so much love in my heart whenever I look at my little Tuk.”
Bailey Bass as Tsireya
Bailey Bass stars as Tsireya, a free diver of the Metkayina and Tonowari and Ronal’s daughter. Tsireya becomes a love interest for Lo’ak. “She’s strong, kind and I think people will see the beauty inside as well as the beauty outside,” Bass told Variety. “The first time I saw myself… she’s beautiful! You’ve never seen the Metkayina clan. It’s new and fresh and exciting. To be a part of that is phenomenal. What’s going to stick with me is the honor of being part of a franchise that’s more than just moviemaking, it’s going to connect people together. These action scenes have so much heart in them and so much emotion. Being a part of that is really exciting.”
Filip Geljo as Aonung
Filip Geljo plays Aonung, a young male hunter and free diver of the Metkayina who happens to be Tonowari and Ronal’s son. While he’s protective of his sister, Tsireya, he’s not exactly ready to welcome the Sully family with open arms.
Duane Evans Jr. as Rotxo
Duane Evans Jr. stars as Roxto, a young male hunter and free-diver of the Metkayina who is best friends with Aonung.
CCH Pounder as Mo’at
CCH Pounder returns very briefly as Mo’at, the Omaticaya’s spiritual leader and Neytiri’s mother. Because the plot of the film finds the Sully family leaving their home and taking refuge with the water tribe, Pounder’s screen time is far more limited than her supporting turn in the original “Avatar.”
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