She told Zavvi: “I think by now, he does know that I was inspired by him, just a little bit! It was coming onto set and seeing his integrity, and how much power his word has – when James Cameron says go, everybody goes without questioning it, you change whatever you’re doing based on whatever he says because of that trust.”
Quaritch Is Based On Cameron Too?
It’s not just Chaplin either. Stephen Lang, returning as the genocidal villain Colonel Miles Quaritch for another revenge mission against the Na’vi, has frequently looked to his long-time friend and collaborator to help shape his character.
He told us: “All of the characters are manifestations of Jim Cameron, and Quaritch is from a very particular, dynamic part of him. It’s always interesting when we’re on set together, because Jim is nothing if not an alpha male, Quaritch is nothing if not an alpha male, so you’ve got these two alphas roaming around.
“We have a lot of fun together, but also a lot of conflict – disagreements which help transform the movie and my performance in very positive, creative ways. And now we’ve brought Oona into it as Varang, and she’s an alpha too, and all these big energies are working together.”
Becoming Varang
That’s where the comparisons between the Oscar-winning director and his evil creations end, but it’s understandable that Chaplin would look towards a strong force of personality. The actress is first to admit Varang is “completely unlike” her, and at the time she was first reading for the part, she was searching for ways to productively channel her anger about the state of the world into her art.
“When I was auditioning for Varang, I’d been going back and forth to the Calais refugee camp known as the Jungle”, she continued. “I was building shacks and doing whatever I could in my power to help these refugees, and it left me angry, because they weren’t being given simple solutions for their problems – on a night I’d be going into the shower just to cry, as I was in a state of total despair.
“Varang helped me come to a greater place of peace within myself; even though she’s not exactly peaceful, she’s someone who was able to integrate what had happened to her into her journey, which showed me something about strength and resilience that I really needed to experience for myself in that moment. She has a relationship with power that’s really interesting, and becoming her helped me learn to take up more space and stand on my two feet more.”
Although no stranger to fantasy franchises, this was Chaplin’s first experience working with motion-capture technology, which meant there were some initial nerves about whether this emotionality in her performance would translate onto the screen.
“Motion capture is still difficult for me to get my head around – I don’t know how it works, or how many computers are in-between what I do on the day and what we see onscreen, it’s magic to me. What I found remarkable was that the essence of performance and the spirit of truth in the moment was protected; Jim Cameron and the WETA team managed to stay true to the soul of the moment that we shared as actors in that magical space.
“The process very quickly became familiar to me, as it felt a lot like theatre, and we were in the hands of an incredible director. Stephen Lang is a fantastic acting partner, and an inspiring person to act against, so the feeling on set was very safe and familiar – it was a great experience.”
Varang and Neytiri
Picking up a few weeks after The Way of Water, the three-quel follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as they’re still grappling with the death of their son Neteyam. With the humans responsible, Neytiri has become a full-blown racist towards the adopted human member of their clan Spider (Jack Champion), but the journey to find him a new home leads them into the path of the Ash people, who are furious with the Na’vi.
It’s a fascinating place to introduce Varang, argues Chaplin, as she sees her character as the mirror image of Neytiri.
“They’re birds of a feather, and I think Varang’s arc is a cautionary tale for Neytiri. We start film three with her in a place of deep grief, and at times falling into the dark side, being a bit racist and callous as she has emotionally shut herself down.
“It’s something Varang had to go through after seeing her whole world devastated, but without the support structure that would help heal her wounds – she had to reinvent everything. At this time, they’re mirror images, and I think together they pose deep questions about what point does redemption become available, and at what point do we lost the ability to have it for ourselves?”
Quaritch’s Return
Quaritch returns in Fire and Ash with the same singular mission as he did last time: to bring Jake Sully to justice. However, Lang argues that his character is in a far different place to last time, as his Na’vi transformation is further along than it was in The Way of Water.
He explained: “He’s remained on his mission in word, but perhaps not so much in deed. He’s now got all these other factors that are preying upon him externally and from within, and there’s something very new beginning to run through his system now too, which is starting to have a profound physical effect on him as well.
“Quaritch’s singular purpose is like Pandora itself in a way, expanding his tendrils in all kinds of directions, emotionally and spiritually. He wants to include his son Spider in his life, and has this new relationship with Varang, which is the next step in his ongoing evolution.”
The emotional distance between father and son – one a villain ready to colonise this planet, the other the young human ally to the heroic clan – could be the recipe for grand tragedy on paper. Lang doesn’t read it that way though.
“Tragedy is not a word that I have associated with Quaritch at any time! There are aspects of grief within this story, but they’ve never touched him particularly.
“I do think there’s a sense of regret bubbling under him, a sense of inadequacy as a father, and perhaps even a sense of guilt that’s wormed its way into his consciousness over his relationship with Spider. But he remains irrevocably Quaritch; he can’t help but stay brutal and callous.”
It might be exaggerating to say you see a softer side to Quaritch in Fire and Ash, but his flirtatious relationship with Varang allows Lang to let his hair down and let down the intensity a little. Since the first Avatar, we’ve seen him play countless memorable villains – it comes naturally to somebody who couldn’t be further away from their demeanour.
“I suppose once in a while people are intimidated by me, but there’s nothing to be intimidated by! I treat people the way I want to be treated – and I don’t want to be intimidated by people myself!”
Avatar: Fire and Ash is in UK cinemas from Friday, 19th December.Explore all upcoming film releases
