Originally published June 3, 2020. Updated June 7, 2020.
Harry Potter and Wonder Woman actor David Thewlis has described joining Avatar 2 and its alien filmmaking process.
For those who have never done motion capture work before, it can be quite a strange process, being so different from regular acting work. This is something industry veteran David Thewlis found when he joined James Cameron’s Avatar 2.
Thewlis will be playing a Na’vi in the movie and he spoke to Total Film about his role: “I’ve got no idea what my scenes will be like because there are about 16 guys in the room with video cameras but they’re just shooting reference shots for Jim [Cameron] to look at later. What those guys are shooting will never be on the screen, what’s being shot is obviously on these sensors. There are about 200 around the room, doing their thing.
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“I am a Na’vi, I’m a blue thing in it – which I didn’t quite understand when I went to meet [Cameron]. I was quite surprised when I got offered that. I’m fascinated to see how I’m going to look, because they sort of make them look a bit like oneself. It’s fantastic!
“For the first time, I felt like a total newcomer, like it was my first job. I was on set having been working for 35 years on film sets and I was like, ‘So what do we do? What’s that doing here? Why is he doing that? Do we do it now?’ I felt very naïve. And of course, I was, because none of the rules applied from everything I’ve learned.”
Actors certainly have to put great trust in the director when making films like Avatar 2. Hopefully, it all comes together to create something truly special for the long-anticipated sequel.
Avatar 2 sees Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi and Sigourney Weaver all reprising their roles from the first film, while new additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, David Thewlis, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Duane Evans Jr., Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Keston John and CJ Jones.
