Sam Worthington Talks "Avatar", "Terminator", "Clash" & More!
UPDATE: Michael here. Io9 has a one-on-one interview with Worthington where he talks more about Avatar, including his thoughts on the story.
Michael here. Today at the Terminator: Salvation press junket Sam Worthington talked about his experiences working on his recent big projects, including Avatar and Clash of the Titans.
IESB has the full transcript of the discussion. it's a great read, so I urge you to check it out.
A few excerpts:
Q: When you’re working on something like Avatar, is there a lot of physical precision involved?
Sam: Kind of. You’re never dictated by the technology with Jim. Jim is paramount to the actors. Everyone thinks that he’s technology driven, but he’s the best fuckin’ acting director I’ve ever worked with. He picks up on subtleties and details that you wouldn’t believe. So, he’s employed me to come in and do my job, and then we use the technology and I work with him. It’s give and take. Jim isn’t a dictator. He wants it fuckin’ high, but so do I. I’m not there to get pushed around. I’m there to work with the man. And, that’s why I got the job. I don’t get pushed around. I’ve done 10 years [of acting] in Australia. I didn’t do that for nothin’. We worked together. It’s a privilege to work with directors who like pushing the boundaries and taking risks, like McG. He’s taken a hell of a risk on this movie, with his career. That’s what I like to be a part of.
Q: There’s probably never been a movie like Avatar, where nobody has seen a scene of it and there’s no trailer, but people are expecting it to be the second coming. Have you seen any of it?
Sam: Yeah. I watched it recently.
Q: Does it live up to the hype?
Sam: It’s amazing! Jim said, “The hype is gonna kill it.” Jim is not nervous. He doesn’t get nervous. It’s not the be all and end all. Hopefully, what this does is open up a world of the possibilities of what motion capture can do and the possibilities of what this 3-D technology can achieve. Hopefully, it starts that kind of revolution, and I think it will.
Q: So, you’re okay with all of the hype that comes along with projects like those?
Sam: That’s just part of the fun, isn’t it? I guess I’ll find out. My mates are sick of seeing my head. If this happened when I was 22, it could be a bit overwhelming. I’m 32. I know who I am, so I’m just going to enjoy the ride. As long as it doesn’t affect my work, and I keep producing work of a certain quality, that keeps me in the game, then I’m okay. As soon as it starts affecting what I can achieve, or I feel that I’ve got nothing to offer, I’ll go back to brick laying.
Head over to IESB for the full interview.
