Sigourney Weaver recently revealed that she filmed her kissing scene with Jack Champion in Avatar: Fire and Ash amidst the fan concerns about their age gap.
One notable moment that happened in the recent installment of James Cameron's science-fiction epic saga is the kissing scene between Weaver's character, Kiri, and Champion's character, Spider. While the two characters are in the same age range, the actors who played them have a significant age gap, which prompted questions about how they pulled off the scene.
How Avatar: Fire and Ash's Kiri and Spider Kissing Scene Was Filmed
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Weaver set the record straight on the filming of her kissing scene with Champion's character, who was around 14-15 years old at that time, in Avatar: Fire and Ash.
She explained that they filmed the scene separately and used an age-appropriate actor for the kiss.
"That scene where I say, 'You're perfect just as you are,' we had to be very delicate about that scene because it included a kiss. Obviously, I wasn't going to kiss Jack, who was 14 or 15, in real life," she said.
Weaver and James Cameron told Champion "to pick someone I could kiss and he did. Then I imagine when I wasn't there, they picked someone appropriate for Jack."
"That concern about all of that, which is quite legitimate, was going on. And I’m glad the scene survived, because when I saw it, I believed it. It’s so genuine between the two of them, and any concern about Jack’s real age and my real age, I think there’s no room for it there," the actress added.
It was the only time that Weaver and Champion filmed a scene separately throughout the production schedule.
"It was only that one moment. It was like a little vacation whenever we had a scene [together] because we're frolicking. It's kind of a time off for me because she's so deliriously happy; she enjoys his company so much," Weaver said.
"I don't know how tall I'm supposed to be, like 6'4, and he's what, 5'8 or something, and I tower over him — and you can really see it in the film. Being a tall woman myself, height doesn't matter at all. I love that we're mismatched. It's perfect."
What is Avatar: Fire and Ash About?
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake and Neytiri's family grapples with grief after Neteyam's death, encountering a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Ash People, led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.
The cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Brendan Cowell, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans, Jr., and Kate Winslet.
The film was released in theaters last week, as well as in IMAX and other premium formats. There is no word yet for its streaming release on VOD and Disney+.
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