Avatar’s Cliff Curtis and Sam Worthington on what it’s really like to work with notorious taskmaster James Cameron

Scene from James Cameron's new blockbuster, Avatar: The Way of Water, in cinemas now.

Legendary film-maker James Cameron, who has twice made the most popular movie of all time (Titanic, then Avatar), has garnered a reputation – justified or otherwise - over the years as something of a hard taskmaster. It’s a reputation Māori actor Cliff Curtis was conscious of when he gained a co-starring role in the long-anticipated Avatar sequel, The Way of Water, despite having previously been charmed by Cameron in a social setting.

“When I first met him, casually, I got on with him on a human level, we were interested in the same things, intellectually,” Curtis tells TimeOut on a Zoom video call from the Sydney-based junket for Avatar: The Way of Water. “Then when I got to work with him, I was going, ‘Oh my God, how’s he gonna behave?’”

But Curtis says reports of Cameron’s demeanour on set have been greatly exaggerated.

“There’s this false narrative about who he is,” Curtis explains. “And I strongly disagree with that narrative. I think he’s a man of great integrity. Someone I really enjoy spending time with as a person. I really aligned with his priorities in life.”

Curtis’ co-star, Aussie actor Sam Worthington, agrees.

“I don’t think he’s a hard taskmaster,” says Worthington. “I think he demands excellence of himself, and that encourages others to do it. Jim is a man who raises the bar, but he gives you and everyone around him the confidence to jump over that bar with him. He’s a gentle soul. He cares a lot about humanity and the direction we’re going in.”

Director James Cameron and actor Sam Worthington on the set of Avatar: The Way of Water. Photo: supplied.

In Avatar: The Way of Water, Curtis plays (via the magic of high-tech motion capture) Tonowari, the chief of an ocean-adjacent clan of Na’vi (the tall blue aliens) who welcome Jake Sully (Worthington) and his family when they are forced from their jungle home by avaricious earthlings on Pandora, the lush and dangerous moon that is home to the Na’vi.

“Tonowari is an incredibly majestic character,” says Curtis. “He is a traditionalist, he’s a leader of his people. I find it difficult to personally relate to such a grounded and majestic character, but I suppose it’s sort of wish-fulfillment. If I was ever a chief, I’d want to be a chief like that guy.”

Curtis says he looked to leaders from his own life experience to portray the character.

“Mita Mohi [an expert in the traditional Māori martial art of mau rākau], my uncle Toby, as well as [trailblazing Māori film-maker] Merata Mita. Those leaders back home very much had the values and the mana of great leadership and I had that direct experience to draw upon.”

Scene from James Cameron's new blockbuster, Avatar: The Way of Water, in cinemas now.

Although the sequel is still unseen at the time of writing, it’s not hard to discern a Māori influence in the look and themes of Avatar: The Way of Water and its predecessor, especially as they were shot in New Zealand.

“I’m very proud of that,” says Curtis. “I was very inspired by the first film, when I saw the similarities to our culture and our heritage, but not just Māori, also Oceania. There are also influences from African tribes and South American [tribes].

“I’m really inspired by James Cameron’s commitment to telling a story about the values of traditional indigenous culture, and how traditionally we are actually a part of nature. It’s a relationship that I know Jim really respects and wants to honour through the storytelling. I know his values are correct. I know he’s very genuine as a person. So I feel very comfortable seeing aspects of my own heritage interwoven into this fictional world.”

LOWDOWN

Who: Cliff Curtis and Sam Worthington

What: The big-budget spectacle, Avatar 2: The Way of Water

When: Opens in cinemas today (December 15).