Image via 20th Century Studios //
The hype continues to build…
It’s no stretch to say that Avatar 2 is one of the most anticipated sequels in movie history, the first film of the franchise shocking the world to its core a decade ago. Being the innovative and creative psycho he is, James Cameron has taken his sweet time while working on the sequels. Now that the filming is mostly over for them and they’re heading into post-production, we’re being blessed with some sneaky pics from the set, and this new shot of Kate Winslet in the film just continues to build excitement.
Posted to the Avatar franchise’s official Twitter, the pic sees the Revolutionary Road actress literally acting underwater while lifting what look like some heavy AF wings. There’s also a camera man spotted next to her, catching all of the action on an underwater rig.
Opening up on the photo, Winslet said “I was walking on walking on the bottom of the tank. That’s a big ceremonial sequence with those huge heavy wings. That was quite scary. The thing is, when you can hold your breath for seven minutes, you become unafraid. Actually, strangely, I was able to rely on my own ability to hold my breath for that long. Somehow I was not afraid, at all.”
She then went super in-depth on the whole process, explaining “There’s so much safety underwater. There are two safety divers on every performer. There are two safety divers on every underwater camera. There were so many people in that tank. I probably felt safer down there than I did on dry land. I found the whole thing incredibly calming. There was something very meditative to me, and I don’t meditate. I can’t switch my brain off. I’m too busy. I love doing yoga, but I can only do it for about 25 minutes, and then I’m making lists. I get bored and I have to stop. But somehow, learning how to do a breath hold was one of the most calming things I’ve ever done because you have to slow your body down. You actually have to lower your heart rate to be able to oxygenate your body and subsequently hold your breath for that long. So, I had no choice but to stop fucking moving, which is not normal for me.”
From Kate Winslet's recent interview in @THR: “I had to learn how to free-dive to play that role in Avatar, and that was just incredible. My longest breath hold was seven minutes and 14 seconds, like crazy, crazy stuff.” pic.twitter.com/ZYAmZdNgHS
— Avatar (@officialavatar) October 26, 2020
She also opened up on reuniting with Titanic director James Cameron, coming together for the first time in over 20 years for the new blockbuster. Looking back on Titanic, Winslet said “Well, look, we’re all older. We all got older. I look back on the experience of making Titanic and it’s no secret that it was a very difficult shoot. It was very, very stressful and things were tough for all involved.”
“When I think about what Jim had to pull off — six-day weeks, for a seven and a half months shoot, four and a half months of which were night — Christ, I know that was hard for us, the young actors,” she continued. “But I’m able to gain perspective, as well, and with the benefit of hindsight, I look at what Jim was trying to pull off and the level of pressure he was under, and actually, I have even more respect for him now than I ever have done before.”
Pretty awesome to see them reunite like this, and Avatar seems like the perfect project to do it on. Check out the trailer for the first Avatar film below and get keen.
