A Baby Driver Actress Nearly Joined James Cameron's Avatar Franchise

Many actors in the "Avatar" films are hidden by CGI blue skin, leaving them unrecognizable. The third and latest "Avatar" film, "Fire and Ash," brings in a new Na'vi villain: firebending witch Varang. While Varang leaves a definite impression, you may not recognize her as Oona Chaplin, most famous for playing Talisa Maegyr, the beloved (and doomed) wife of Robb Stark (Richard Madden) on "Game of Thrones."

One performer who ultimately missed the ship to Pandora was Eiza González. The Mexican actor confirmed to Collider in 2021 that she auditioned for the "Avatar" sequels. She's since repeated the story of her "Avatar" audition while promoting her sci-fi film "Ash" with Aaron Paul (via Polygon). The first part of González's audition involved reading a portion of the script in a locked room. After that, it got stranger:

"They covered my eyes, took me to a different room, passed me through the whole thing, and then they gave me a tail. I had a tail, a little tail! Half of my lines were screaming on the floor. Then I was on all fours. I was like, 'I'm going to commit. You've got to just commit.' And I was like, on the floor on all fours, gibbering Na'vi or whatever they speak, and running around wild."

Now, González did not say which "Avatar" role she read for, but it sounds like it was a Na'vi character. She's well-known for playing imposing femme fatales too, from vampire queen Santanico Pandemonium in the "From Dusk till Dawn" TV series to the bank robber "Darling" in Edgar Wright's "Baby Driver." With the context of "Fire and Ash," I'd say it's plausible that she auditioned for Varang, a dominatrix-coded warrior queen who brings Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) to his literal knees while interrogating/seducing him.

González didn't score an "Avatar" audition through mere good luck. On the "From Dusk till Dawn" TV show, she worked with filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, director of the original "From Dusk till Dawn" movie. Then, Rodriguez cast her in his 2019 cyberpunk manga adaptation, "Alita: Battle Angel," as the cyborg assassin Nyssiana.

"Alita" was first developed by James Cameron, who only passed the directing reins to Rodriguez so he could focus on the "Avatar" sequels instead. Cameron stayed on as a producer for "Alita," though, and after he and González worked on the film, he had her audition for his "Avatar" follow-ups.

The timing here further suggests that González auditioned for Varang. "Alita" filmed from October 2016 to February 2017, while Chaplin's "Avatar" casting was announced in June 2017. That leaves a four month gap for Cameron to audition actors for Varang before making his decision in (or at least close to) June.

While González didn't get a part in the "Avatar" sequels, she didn't sound bitter about it. During her initial discussion with Collider, she used the story to explain how even "small roles" can open doors for actors:

"I was a small role [in 'Alita']. 'Baby Driver' had already been successful, so I could have been like, 'Meh, I'm not gonna do this.' But, at the same time, for me, it enables someone like James Cameron to see me, to know who I am [...] and he considered me to audition for 'Avatar' after that. He would have never read me. It was like a five-person list."

If Cameron makes more "Avatar" sequels, perhaps he can still find a place on Pandora for González.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is now playing in theaters.