Fans had concerns when it was revealed that Sigourney Weaver would return to Pandora for James Cameron’s much anticipated Avatar sequel The Way Of Water. In particular, how in the world would she return given that the character she played—the compassionate human Dr. Grace Augustine, head of the RDA’s Avatar Program—died during the first movie? Do you mean flashbacks? Or perhaps a hidden sister? The response is entirely unanticipated. Weaver portrays an entirely new character in this movie, and there are some things you definitely need to know about her. More revelations happen in Empire’s next Avatar: The Way Of Water issue. It becomes available only in the world. First of all, her name is Kiri. Secondly, and most unexpected is that she’s the teenage adopted daughter of Jake and Neytiri. A trailer came out over a month ago.
Source: Empire
Sigourney Weaver Plays An Adolescent Blue Alien
Just to make sure you understand it, we’ll give you a sentence: In the movie Avatar: The Way Of Water, Sigourney Weaver plays an adolescent blue alien. It was an opportunity for the actor,
who previously collaborated with Cameron on the film Aliens, to let her inner child go. “I think we all pretty much remember what we were feeling as adolescents,” she tells
Empire. “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.”
Cameron was aware of just what a leap it would be for the legendary actor. “As an acting challenge, it’s big,” he says. “We’re gonna have a 60-something actor playing a character her actual biological age. Sig thought it’s all kinds of fun.” Getting into that mindset meant Weaver workshopping with a group of teenage girls to channel some youthful energy – and the results were remarkable. “Sigourney just became younger,” recalls Cameron. “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.”
Source: Empire
Ripley Comes Back To The Avatar Franchise
One question in particular leaps out after learning Weaver will play a key role in The Way Of Water. Does this mean her mother, Neytiri, inherits Ripley’s most well-known quote? We’ll have to wait a few months to learn what “Get away from her, you bitch!” means. The story of Avatar: The Way of Water centers on the blended family that former human Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and the Na’vi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) established after the first movie. As surprising as it was to find that Jake and Neytiri appeared to have adopted a human child, Cameron recently opened up more about the couple’s second child, Kiri, in an interview with Empire magazine. These revelations may indicate that Kiri is the more intriguing of the two siblings.
“Sigourney just became younger,” Cameron said of Weaver’s performance on set. “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.”
Despite the fact that Kiri is a teenager, Cameron said that Weaver plays the part and that the 72-year-old actress had “all kinds of fun” figuring out the character’s personality while working with real teenage females. It’s interesting that Cameron also revealed that Kiri is adopted, implying that there may be more to Kiri and Dr. Augustine’s relationship than just the fact that they are both portrayed by the same actress. Weaver didn’t say much about her new role. But she used her own problematic childhood to illustrate how she could enter Kiri’s adolescent with ease.
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