One Actor from Avatar: Fire & Ash Had to Film Many Scenes Twice [Exclusive]

Watching an "Avatar" movie often leaves audiences asking: "How did they even do that?" This question is even more striking with this months Avatar: Fire and Ash, which showcases some of the most visually stunning imagery ever seen in cinema.

To give fans insight, James Cameron and his team have included extensive behind-the-scenes content in the 4K collectors editions of Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. Additionally, the two-part documentary Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films, now available on Disney+, explores the creation of Pandora and the Na'vi in detail.

Even with all this information, the technical complexity of these films can be hard to fully grasp. While we now understand how actors like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaa are motion-captured and transformed into Na'vi, the process for live-action actors interacting with these characters is less obvious.

Sigourney Weaver, portraying the teenage Na'vi Kiri, and Jack Champion, who plays the human Spider, recently discussed their experiences filming Fire and Ash. Both share significant screen time together, offering insight into how these interactions were achieved. Notably, while Weaver filmed her scenes once, Champion had to perform his scenes twice: once on the motion-capture stage and again in live-action.

Champion explained that the dual filming process was demanding. Because The Way of Water and Fire and Ash were shot consecutively, his portrayal of Spider spanned several years. James Cameron provided guidance with humor, describing the first years of performance capture as rehearsal, emphasizing that the live-action shoots in New Zealand were critical. Champion needed to sync his movements with performances that were pre-recorded or displayed on devices like iPads atop Na'vi stand-ins.

Despite the technical challenges, the emotional depth of Champions performance remained intact. He noted that Cameron ensured the emotional authenticity was never compromised, and Sigourney Weaver praised Champion for his ability to convincingly interact with life-sized Na'vi props while filming.

All actors faced demanding schedules, but Champions effort stood out. Weaver highlighted how he successfully related to a large Na'vi stand-in, with only a small screen showing the other actor, and delivered an outstanding performance.

Spider emerges as a central and pivotal character in Fire and Ash. Thanks to Champions dedication, the character resonates strongly, contributing significantly to the films impact. Avatar: Fire and Ash premieres in theaters on December 19, 2025.

Author: Benjamin Carter