In order to get into character for Avatar: The Way of Water, Sigourney Weaver says she had to undergo special training with a Navy SEAL instructor.
Before joining Avatar: The Way of Water as Kiri, adoptive daughter of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), Weaver portrayed scientist Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film.
Kiri, the protagonist of Avatar: The Way of Water, discovers that she can use her affinity with Eywa to have extraordinary abilities and interact with the natural world.
Since Kiri will be the protagonist of the next few Avatar films, Weaver's position in the franchise will only get larger.
In an interview with The Wrap, Weaver said that preparing for her role in Avatar: The Way of Water required extensive training with military experts.
Weaver struggled with her self-assurance on set due to the physically hard stunts and James Cameron's critical remarks, so she sought help from Navy SEAL instructor Kirk Krack.
This preparation allowed Weaver to successfully perform her stunt work and shooting in the water.
Take a look at what she had to say about it below:
"[Cameron] used to brag that we could hold our breath for a minute and a half while swimming, and that was on the safe side.
And then I realized that, even while not in motion, I can only hold my breath for around 30 seconds.
But [Cameron] never issues these tests without providing resources to assist you meet the task.
Therefore, in May of 2017, we began our training in the pool with Navy SEAL instructor Kirk Krack.
My spouse and I were able to remain still under the water for a whole minute, and from there we were able to take things from there.
Avatar: The Way of Water, after 13 years in development, was bound to be more expansive than the first Avatar, but the addition of a sizable water element further heightened the production's difficulties.
Aside from donning motion capture suits and striving to live up to Cameron's high standards, the performers also had to learn parkour, archery, and free diving so they could film underwater.
The pressures of making a blockbuster like Avatar: The Way of Water aren't unique; a villain in the upcoming Dune 2 movie also went through rigorous training with the Navy SEALs.
Although computer-generated imagery (CGI) was extensively used in Avatar: The Way of Water to realize the Na'vi and the planet Pandora, the production of the film was complicated by the necessity of using physical effects.
Productions are already complicated by water, and motion capture outfits just make things worse.
Some of the performers had to get in shape or seem older than their characters, which further added to the challenge.
Weaver, who is 73 years old, had to learn parkour and perform burpees for the show since she was portraying a 14-year-old youngster.
The performers knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the project, and some of them even exceeded expectations.
Since Avatar: The Way of Water was shot simultaneously with Avatar 3, the performers had little opportunity to recover between sets.
In terms of breaths, many other performers went through considerably more than Weaver did, as underwater sequences might stretch for minutes.
For example, Kate Winslet was under great pressure from Cameron to break Tom Cruise's breath-holding record of just over six minutes by remaining underwater for seven minutes and fourteen seconds.
It's no surprise that the performers had it so rough on the set of Avatar: The Way of Water, despite the film's status as a technological achievement.
Before joining Avatar: The Way of Water as Kiri, adoptive daughter of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), Weaver portrayed scientist Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film.
Kiri, the protagonist of Avatar: The Way of Water, discovers that she can use her affinity with Eywa to have extraordinary abilities and interact with the natural world.
Since Kiri will be the protagonist of the next few Avatar films, Weaver's position in the franchise will only get larger.
In an interview with The Wrap, Weaver said that preparing for her role in Avatar: The Way of Water required extensive training with military experts.
Weaver struggled with her self-assurance on set due to the physically hard stunts and James Cameron's critical remarks, so she sought help from Navy SEAL instructor Kirk Krack.
This preparation allowed Weaver to successfully perform her stunt work and shooting in the water.
Take a look at what she had to say about it below:
"[Cameron] used to brag that we could hold our breath for a minute and a half while swimming, and that was on the safe side.
And then I realized that, even while not in motion, I can only hold my breath for around 30 seconds.
But [Cameron] never issues these tests without providing resources to assist you meet the task.
Therefore, in May of 2017, we began our training in the pool with Navy SEAL instructor Kirk Krack.
My spouse and I were able to remain still under the water for a whole minute, and from there we were able to take things from there.
Avatar: The Way of Water, after 13 years in development, was bound to be more expansive than the first Avatar, but the addition of a sizable water element further heightened the production's difficulties.
Aside from donning motion capture suits and striving to live up to Cameron's high standards, the performers also had to learn parkour, archery, and free diving so they could film underwater.
The pressures of making a blockbuster like Avatar: The Way of Water aren't unique; a villain in the upcoming Dune 2 movie also went through rigorous training with the Navy SEALs.
Although computer-generated imagery (CGI) was extensively used in Avatar: The Way of Water to realize the Na'vi and the planet Pandora, the production of the film was complicated by the necessity of using physical effects.
Productions are already complicated by water, and motion capture outfits just make things worse.
Some of the performers had to get in shape or seem older than their characters, which further added to the challenge.
Weaver, who is 73 years old, had to learn parkour and perform burpees for the show since she was portraying a 14-year-old youngster.
The performers knew what they were getting into when they signed up for the project, and some of them even exceeded expectations.
Since Avatar: The Way of Water was shot simultaneously with Avatar 3, the performers had little opportunity to recover between sets.
In terms of breaths, many other performers went through considerably more than Weaver did, as underwater sequences might stretch for minutes.
For example, Kate Winslet was under great pressure from Cameron to break Tom Cruise's breath-holding record of just over six minutes by remaining underwater for seven minutes and fourteen seconds.
It's no surprise that the performers had it so rough on the set of Avatar: The Way of Water, despite the film's status as a technological achievement.
