The Underwater Scenes of Avatar 2 Are Hard for Sam Worthington

By Simon Saunders -

Sam Worthington, who plays the lead role in Avatar: The Way of Water, claims that filming the underwater sequences was his greatest challenge yet. The Avatar sequel arrives more than ten years after the 2009 release of the first movie. In charge of directing the picture is James Cameron once more. Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver (albeit in a different role), and Stephen Lang are among the returning actors. Along with new actors, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, and Oona Chaplin will join the cast of Avatar 2.

The Water in Avatar 2 Is Computer-Generated!

The Way of Water relies heavily on water, as the title would imply. Based on the movie's teaser, VFX artists have already praised the fact that the water in Cameron's Avatar sequel is computer-generated. The performers had to record scenes underwater in order to reproduce the necessary motion capture movement for their roles, even though the water in the final movie was created using CGI. The principal actors from The Way of Water displayed amazing physical prowess throughout these underwater scenes. For one Avatar 2 scene, Winslet famously held her breath for seven and a half minutes, beating Tom Cruise's on-screen record from Mission Impossible.

Worthington also claims that the underwater scenes were agonizing, even though Winslet was eventually the most impressive breath-holder on film (via Deeper Blue). Worthington claims that the "restrictions" and "constrictions" of freediving and using motion capture technology make the underwater shots more challenging. Worthington struggled with "the fear of passing away" while holding his breath underwater for so long, even as he tried to maintain his excellent performance given the circumstances.

More About the Lead Actor Sam Worthington

Worthington's background reveals exactly how difficult a task Avatar: The Way of Water was to complete. In this top-tier Cameron movie, actors had to not only "keep an emotional journey going," but they also had to put their bodies through rigorous mental exercises and display strength and endurance while filming. Recent news on Avatar has given its CGI innovations a lot of attention, and this praise is undoubtedly deserved. However, in the excitement and adulation for the imminent sequel, the acting achievements of Avatar 2's performers should not be disregarded, as Worthington's description of the underwater scenes serves to illustrate.

Avatar: The Way of Water has great potential to be a great movie, so maybe these accomplishments will come together.