James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is set to hit movie theaters worldwide on December 19. Now, ahead of the film’s release, the director is praising Sigourney Weaver for her performance, saying she truly became someone else.
Cameron spoke to PEOPLE in December 2025, saying both he and Weaver embraced youth while making “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and the previous two in the franchise. He began, “She was 70 and 71 across that period where she was capturing Kiri.”
“I mean, she can capture Kiri tomorrow. Nothing’s changed. She’s a little bit older now, but she just came in a different person. She came in lighter and more open. I mean, she literally looked like she had gotten younger.”
He went on to call Weaver’s performance as a teenage character “maybe one of the biggest acting challenges of her career.”
He explained, “Because in her mind, she had taken herself back to her 14, 15-year-old self. And by the way, it wasn’t all fun and light. It was the darkness of an anxious teenager.”
James Cameron Opens Up About Sigourney Weaver’s Performance
Cameron continued his discussion with PEOPLE, focusing specifically on Weaver’s performance in the “Avatar” movies. The “Avatar: Fire and Ash” director called her work in the first movie “younger, more alive, more vivid” as her original character.
“I thought, ‘Wow, if we could do that, what if Sigourney played her own daughter, or at least the daughter of her avatar self?'”
“I said, ‘Sigourney, are you up for this? You want to try playing a 15-year-old?’ And we’d joke about it. I’d say, ‘Well, emotionally you’re 15.’ And so am I, by the way, I think we all are to some extent.”
Weaver plays Dr. Grace Augustine in the first two films and in both “Way of Water” and the latest, “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Currently, there are plans for two more movies. However, Disney hasn’t greenlit any future films as of writing.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Has Strong Reviews
The review embargo for Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was lifted on December 16. However, people who had seen the movie early were able to share their non-spoiler thoughts on social media beforehand. It currently has a 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from professional critics. This is based on 187 reviews.
One critic, Blake Howard, said, “The film is broader, messier, more overstuffed than the first two – and that’s the point. You feel the grief and conflict in the character beats: fire tribes, hallucinogenic rituals, Na’vi Maguas playing every side.”
Joanne Soh wrote, “Do not expect Cameron to inject any freshness into the story or characters, but he will take you on an extraordinary three-hour visual expedition.”
Finally, Rich Cline said of the film, “James Cameron reveals stunning advances in performance-capture technology, as terrific details bring the characters to life. But aside from a few personal journeys, the plot never feels like it goes somewhere new.”
According to Deadline, the film is expected to open with between $340 million and $380 million. For comparison, 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” opened to $444 million worldwide.
