Hollywood icon Sigourney Weaver has opened up about the careful protocols implemented to protect her teenage co-star during the filming of a sensitive scene in the latest Avatar blockbuster.
Safeguarding a Young Actor on Set
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Weaver, 76, plays the teenage Na'vi Kiri using motion-capture technology. A pivotal scene required her character to share a tender moment, including a kiss, with the character Spider, played by actor Jack Champion, who was just 14 years old at the time of filming.
Weaver acknowledged there were "legitimate concerns" about the scene's intimacy given the significant age gap between the actors. She clarified to The Hollywood Reporter that an actual kiss between them was never on the table. "Obviously I wasn't going to kiss Jack, who was 14 or 15, in real life," the actress stated.
Creative Solutions for an Authentic Moment
The production team devised a unique solution to film the sequence while respecting boundaries. Weaver revealed that Champion was asked to choose a stand-in for her to kiss. Subsequently, a separate appropriate stand-in was used for Champion's part of the shot when Weaver was not present.
"That concern about all of that, which is quite legitimate, was going on," Weaver explained, praising the producers for their diligence. Despite the complex filming process, she was pleased the scene remained in the final cut, feeling it conveyed a genuine emotional connection between the characters.
Weaver also highlighted the playful dynamic between Kiri and Spider, which she enjoyed portraying, and noted the striking visual contrast of her tall Na'vi character towering over Spider.
Box Office Success and Critical Reception
Avatar: Fire and Ash has launched strongly at the global box office since its release on 19 December. In its opening weekend, it topped the charts in the US and Canada, earning $88 million (£65.5 million). In the UK and Ireland, it took in £9 million, contributing to a worldwide total of $345 million (£257 million).
While these figures are below the opening of 2022's The Way of Water, industry analysts note the franchise's history of building momentum through repeat viewings. Critical reception has been mixed, with praise for its visual scale but some criticism over a perceived loss of the original's spark.
Director James Cameron has indicated that future sequels will depend on audience appetite for further stories from Pandora.
