Becoming A Mother Changed The Way Zoe Saldana Approached Avatar: The Way Of Water
"Avatar: The Way of Water" has taken over the world. Just last week, the long-awaited sequel to the 2009 blockbuster passed the $2 billion worldwide box office mark. This means James Cameron has directed three of the four top-grossing films of all time — a phenomenal showing for a film that the echo chambers of the internet were convinced was doomed from the beginning. For those of us who have seen the movie, it's obvious why it has resonated with so many audiences around the world.
As strange and abrasive as Cameron's vision of Pandora is, "Avatar: The Way of Water" focuses on emotional truth, which helps the alien world and its characters find universal appeal. In addition, the completely CG environment and the eccentric creatures within it evoke a feeling of natural wonder, something that we crave in our mundane, technologically driven lives. The new characters, the young and plucky children of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), are now front and center. "This family is our fortress," Jake tells Neytiri before they embark on their migration to a different Na'vi colony to protect their clan.
Through Neteyam, Kiri, L'oak, and Tuk, the themes of parenthood and the resilience of the family unit amidst oppression have now become the heart of "Avatar," and this seems to be striking a chord with audiences. This was especially true for lead star Zoe Saldaña, who in real life, became a mother herself in the decade gap between films. In an interview with ScreenRant, Saldaña opened up about how her new perspective as a parent informed her entire approach to portraying Neytiri in the "Avatar" sequel.
Two reckless fighters, now older parents
"We were parents, whereas in the first film we were not," Zoe Saldaña told ScreenRant. "We were reckless and accepted every challenge presented to us head on. Obviously, we still carried that kind of mentality, it just took a little more time, 10 years or so later."
In the first "Avatar," Jake and Neytiri's forbidden human/Na'vi romance served as the emotional core. Neytiri was able to train and immerse Jake into the culture of the Omatikaya clan and, leveraging her status as a princess, successfully vouched for his character despite the prejudices against humans. It was risky, obviously, seeing as Jake's initial mission was to destroy the Na'vi from the inside — but she trusted her heart. Jake similarly took huge, determined risks in the first film. His endeavor to go against a massive corporation and choose to fight for the Na'vi leaves him in a vulnerable position that leads to the death of his friend and collaborator, Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver).
In "The Way of Water," the Neytiri and Jake we are reintroduced to are parents, but they're also protectors of the remaining Omatikaya. After going to battle with humankind before, they're even more careful and set high expectations for their children to follow their example. In the first act, the Sully children are attacked by Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and narrowly escape. It's here where Jake makes a huge decision that affects the well-being of his family: Leaving the Omatikaya clan to find shelter somewhere else.
'I was starting to relate to this new sensation of fear'
At first, Neytiri is resistant to the idea of running away, as the Omatikaya clan is the only home she's ever known. As a parent, however, she knows it's the safer option for her children. Despite the pain of leaving her people behind, she does what she must to protect her own. "Being a parent, at least for me, I was starting to relate to this new sensation of fear," Zoe Saldaña told ScreenRant, where she also acknowledged that James Cameron wrote "Neytiri in a very relatable way as well, because she was probably experiencing her own set of fears with her children."
Saldaña has a killer amount of sci-fi credits to her name, and yet, the actress feels as though her connection to Neytiri is a profound and specific kind of bond. She even once said that she and Neytiri have lived parallel lives, which made reprising the role feel challenging and surreal. That "fear" Saldaña describes, of watching her children be put in situations of danger or harm is felt in the moments where Neytiri howls in horror and unleashes her inner rage.
There have been critiques that Neytiri's role in the sequel has been greatly reduced compared to the first film, but as "Avatar" shifts from a Jake and Neytiri story to a story about the entire Sully clan, it's understandable why her role has shifted to the background in this way. Still, Neytiri is a force to be reckoned with — a great character who displays strength and vulnerability in equal measure.