James Cameron has disclosed that both Zoe Saldaña and Kate Winslet portray several characters throughout the Avatar franchise, highlighting the versatility required in the film series. This revelation came in the context of the recent release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, which debuted in the United States last month through 20th Century Studios. The movie continues the story from Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, featuring Saldaña’s return as Neytiri and Winslet reprising her role as Ronal.
Performance Capture Enables Actors to Assume Multiple Roles
At The Hollywood Reporter’s Director Roundtable, Cameron explained how the unique nature of performance capture technology allows actors to switch between roles fluidly during production. He noted that the ability to play different characters within the same film is a distinct advantage of this method.
The thing that’s so lovely about performance capture is that people can play other characters,
Cameron said.
Like, if Zoe got bored on the first film, she’d just play someone else for a scene. Kate did that, too. She didn’t have any lines for a moment; in a scene, she’d just play somebody else. I think Kate’s got about three characters, and Zoe has got three or four.
Cameron further described a group of versatile performers he refers to as a “troupe,” able to embody different personas depending on the scene’s requirements. These actors shift between various roles such as old men, boys, or warriors, demonstrating a wide range of abilities in an egalitarian working environment.
We also have this actual troupe, where we call them the troupe. I call them the Swiss Army knife, jack of all trades actors. They might play an old man one day, a boy the next day, and a male warrior the next day. They can do anything. They’re just constantly changing hats, changing characters. It’s very egalitarian.
Cameron explained.
Equality Among Actors in Performance Capture vs. Traditional Filmmaking
Cameron contrasted the inclusive atmosphere on Avatar’s sets with traditional filming practices involving major stars. In typical productions, cameras and crew focus intensely on a leading actor’s close-up, stopping everything else. However, performance capture captures genuine interactions without interrupting the flow.
When you’re on a movie with a big movie star, everybody knows when it’s time for Tom Cruise’s close-up. The world kind of stops while everything gets ready. In performance capture, we’re just capturing the authenticity of the moment between human beings, and we figure out all the coverage later. That’s all later. There’s no close-up, baby. So everybody is kind of equal.
The first two films in the Avatar series are currently available for streaming on Disney+, while the latest installment, Avatar 3, continues to play in theaters. Cameron’s insights on the multiple roles taken on by Saldaña and Winslet shed light on the complex and collaborative nature of bringing this immersive world to life through innovative technology.
