Oona Chaplin, who plays Varang, the Na’vi leader of the volcano-dwelling Mangkwan clan in James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, has revealed that she worried for months that her performance in the tent scene wasn’t good enough and wanted to reshoot it.
In the scene, Quaritch (Stephen Lang) meets Varang in her tent to ask her to join an alliance. Instead, Varang takes control, makes him drink a hallucinogen, and slowly cuts his chest with a knife.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Chaplin said she struggled with self-doubt after filming the emotionally important scene, which reveals her character’s full origin story. Concerned she hadn’t done it justice, she considered asking Cameron for a reshoot.
Instead of agreeing to reshoot the scene, Cameron showed her the completed footage and told her it was his favorite scene in the film.
Chaplin recalled, “I was like, ‘I’ve got to call Jim and ask him to reshoot it.’ It’s such an important scene—her whole origin story is in there. I really wanted to honor her trauma and the resilience of this character in a way that did the story justice. And then I was like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to ask him,’ and he was like, ‘I have something to show you.’ He took me to his cinema and showed me that scene. He was like, ‘It’s my favorite.’”
Avatar: Fire and Ash is directed by James Cameron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, based on a story written by Cameron, Jaffa, Silver, Josh Friedman, and Shane Salerno.
With Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora for an immersive new adventure featuring former Marine-turned–Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family.
The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Brendan Cowell, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr., and Kate Winslet.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently playing in theaters worldwide.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
