Sigourney Weaver discusses her role as a teenager in Avatar and the intricacies of filming a ‘kiss’ scene with her much younger co-star.
The third film in James Cameron’s Avatar series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, hit theaters on December 19.
In this installment, Weaver, at 76, returns to her character Kiri, a teenage Na’vi-human hybrid who is part of the Sully family.
Jack Champion, who is now 21, also reprises his role as Spider, a human teen living on Pandora and a member of the extended Sully clan.
The two characters share a kiss in Fire and Ash, which has sparked discussions due to the 55-year age difference between the actors.
During filming, Champion was 14 to 16 years old, while Sigourney was between 69 and 71.
Weaver explained to the Hollywood Reporter: “That scene where I say, ‘You’re perfect just as you are,’ we had to be very delicate about that scene because it included a kiss. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to kiss Jack, who was 14 or 15, in real life.”
She detailed how the scene was filmed, mentioning that she and Cameron asked Champion to “pick someone I could kiss and he did.”
She added, “Then I imagine when I wasn’t there, they picked someone appropriate for Jack.”
The choice to use stand-ins allowed for an appropriate handling of the scene by all parties involved.
“That concern about all of that, which is quite legitimate, was going on,” she added. “And I’m glad the scene survived, because when I saw it, I believed it.
“It’s so genuine between the two of them, and any concern about Jack’s real age and my real age, I think there’s no room for it there.”
So why does Sigourney portray a teenager in this popular franchise? Spoilers follow…
If you’ve seen the films, you might already know the reason.
If not, or if you need a reminder, here’s the explanation.
Weaver first appeared as Dr. Grace Augustine, a human scientist, in the original 2009 Avatar, where her character was killed off.
She reappeared in the sequels The Way of Water and Fire and Ash as teen Kiri, a Na’vi-human hybrid born from Grace’s avatar and raised by Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as their own.
The TikTok account Terr.Film offers additional insight, noting that Weaver’s real age is effectively obscured by the film’s CGI, making her age less of a concern.
Cameron, who has collaborated with Weaver since Alien in 1986, previously mentioned that the actress brings a naturally ‘youthful’ energy to her roles.
Weaver herself took the part seriously, going as far as observing high school girls to capture their modern behaviors.
Despite all this, some viewers aren’t completely comfortable with the casting choice.
On TikTok, critics have described having Weaver play a teen as ‘unnatural,’ which goes against Cameron’s perspective.
“I LOVE Kiri but Sigourney’s voice does not suit her at all,” one viewer commented.
“Pisses me off so much, it sounds so unnatural,” agreed another.
“I think it’s the worst decision they’ve made,” said a third.
However, some believe it works well.
“Her voice being mature and feeling like an old soul is intentional and works very well considering Kiri’s character,” one person argued.
“SPOILER. It’s because she’s a clone,” another explained.