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EXCLUSIVE: Sam Worthington reveals why James Cameron wanted Lara and his kids on the Avatar 2 set

Good things take time
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Sam Worthington knows only too well that you can’t rush great art.

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In 2009, he found himself at the centre of a cinematic phenomenon when he starred in director James Cameron’s Avatar, a live-action and computer-generated epic that took its audience into a universe where giant blue aliens battled mankind – and the aliens were the good guys.

The film smashed box-office records and became the highest-grossing film of all time. And while the sequel may have taken 13 years to happen, the Australian star insists Avatar: The Way of Water is well worth the wait.

”Good things take time, and great things might take a little longer,” Sam, 46, tells TV WEEK.

”It took a long time for Jim [Cameron] to come up with the ideas of the story. And then it took a lot of time to get others on board to help write and design that story.”

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Sam Worthington is returning as Jake Sully.

(IMAGE: Getty)

With state-of-the-art technology used to create the fictional world, the crew had to figure out how to create a culture that lives underwater.

”In this film you have a whole bunch of new characters, so the world has got bigger… I don’t think Jim was ever fearful of time,” Sam says.

”Patience is a good thing, and I appreciate a filmmaker who does that rather than just looks at their movie like a factory.”

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The years of planning have paid off with this sequel – the first of three planned Avatar movies – as we pick up the story years after Sam’s character Jake Scully joined the alien Na’vi to save their planet from human miners.

With a family of his own alongside wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) – whom he fell for in the world of Pandora – Jake is living peacefully, until he’s called back into action again to protect those he loves.

Sam Worthington on set during motion capture alongside director James Cameron.

(IMAGE: Supplied)

It’s a theme Sam can relate to as a father-of-three with wife (and former model) Lara Worthington. They joined him on set during filming – (“Jim said, ‘We’re making a movie about family; why would I ban them from the studio?”’ Sam says of the family environment) – which helped with his performance.

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”As soon as you have kids, you tap into that protective instinct” he adds.

”I bring a lot of that to the movie.”

It’s a theme he feels will resonate with audiences again.

”We’ve all gone through COVID and understand connectivity is important,” he says. “Familial love on whatever level – whether it’s immediate family or communal family – is the nourishment we need in our time spent on Earth.

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”Jim kept stressing that as we were filming, saying, ‘Yes, we can do scenes underwater and can show more spectacular vision – but if we don’t understand this [story] is about a family, then no-one’s going to remember it when we come out.”’

Avatar: The Way of Water will be in cinemas from December 15.

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