AVATAR 3 Actress Zoe Saldaña Admits That After Reshoots for the Film She Was So Out of Shape She Needed Help Standing
Avatar franchise actress Zoe Saldaña has played the character Neytiri since the first film kicked off the story of the Na'vi people in the distant land of Pandora. The first film was released in 2009, and we didn’t see its sequel until 2022. The next film is set to be released in 2025, but shooting has been complete for a while now. Director James Cameron pretty much shot the second and third films back to back, so it’s been a minute since the actors were actively on set for the upcoming movie. So much editing and effects work goes into those films, so post-production is a long process.
That’s why Saldaña was surprised when she got a call to come in and do some pick-up shots for the film. She explained in a recent appearance on The Tonight Show:
“They called me back in January out of nowhere. And they’re like, ‘We just have some pick-up shots. Can you please come in?’ I was like, ‘OK.’ He’s like, ‘It’s super no-hassle, it’s just little close-ups.’ And all of a sudden, they’re like, ‘Hey, so now, this shot is you on your ikran.’ The ikran is my dragon that I ride, and I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? Like I haven’t gone to the gym in like…’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, it’s gonna be fine! It’s super easy!’”
She went on:
“I took a squat, and I couldn’t get up. I was literally like [gets in squat position]. And they’re like, ‘Cut, Zoe!’ I’m like, ‘I need help.’”
It’s a really physical job, similar to the actress’s Marvel role, which I’m sure also took a good deal of preparation. Avatar 3 is set to be released on December 19, 2025.
via: CinemaBlend