James Cameron explains reunion with Kate Winslet
Director James Cameron has recently answered questions about his unexpected reunion with actor Kate Winslet in Avatar: The Way of the Water. The two previously worked together in 1997 for Cameron’s epic romance Titanic, where Winslet had her breakout performance in the leading role. Titanic was a huge success, winning 11 Oscars and becoming the highest-grossing film for 12 years.
However, Winslet later revealed that her experience working with Cameron was difficult due to his harsh work conditions and other obstacles. In an interview with the LA Times after Titanic’s release, the actor described Cameron as “a really tough nut to crack” before adding that “there were times I was genuinely frightened of him.”
Winslet then elaborated to The Guardian, giving some specific insight into the director’s presence on set. “He has a temper like you wouldn’t believe,” the star shared. “You’d have to pay me a lot of money to work with Jim again.”
Despite these statements, Winslet has recently reunited with Cameron for his new film, Avatar: The Way Of Water. This is the heavily anticipated sequel to his 2009 epic Avatar, set for release on Friday, December 16th.
Cameron sat down with GQ to discuss how this surprising reunion came to be, claiming that, in his eyes, Winslet “had something to prove to herself”. The actor had to train extensively to free dive and breathe underwater for up to eight minutes, as most of the sequel takes place near and underwater. The director referenced this in the interview, stating: “And so, I mean, no extra charge for the therapy, for the healing moment where she got to hold her breath underwater for seven and a half minutes and be the underwater queen.”
The growing Avatar franchise has three planned sequels after The Way Of Water, with the follow-ups set for releases in 2024, 2026 and 2028, respectively. The filmmaker, however, has confirmed that the story could conclude with the third film if there is a poor performance at the box office. Cameron has also confessed he feels he may have landed in a compromising business deal with the film.
Speaking to Total Film, Cameron said: “The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,’ if it’s just not profitable.” Winslet will play Ronal, a member of the new Metkayina tribe.
Watch the trailer for Avatar: The Way of the Water below.
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