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Cameron confirmed to Lang years ago that his hypermacho military baddie would be back.
I was like, Thats great, Lang recalls.
I believe he did me no favors in saying that Quaritch is the Darth Vader of this film.
Its like, c’mon, dont put that on me!
Darth Vader is Darth Vader.
But inThe Way of Water, Quaritch is back kind of.
And top of mind for this new Quaritch is revenge on Sully and his Navi family.
Its been that way talking about it.
There was rehearsal and training, getting educated on what we were going to be called upon to do.
Some of that certainly had to do with the work in the water, which is very specialized.
Thered been milestones along the way.
Now, at that point, I took it all with a grain of salt.
We had no idea the film was going to have the kind of universal acclaim that it had.
And then, after the release, things started getting real.
Thered be a new script forAvatar 2.
Thered be getting together for an event down at Disney World.
There were things that would always keep it on the horizon.
Before we dive intoThe Way of Water, whats yourAvatarorigin story?
And the ad is me striking a military pose in a sleeveless T-shirt.
Its just a tough-ass picture.
He remembered me from an audition I had done many years prior forAliens.And Id done a good audition.
I didnt quite score the role, but what are you going to do?
But it struck him, and so he decided he wanted me to read the script.
And the role blew my mind.
I was very, very fortunate.
At what point did you realize how bigAvatartruly became?
The premieres were all very grand.
They gave it a very wonderful buildup, and the reception was very, very good.
At some point, you realize that youve become part of the most profitable film of all time.
And I got to tell you, I dont know what thats about.
But it was like,Ooh.
And then, when we retook first place, just the tiniest piece of satisfaction.
Of course, that creates expectations, which you venture to tamp down.
So Jim vaguely told you duringAvatarproduction that youd be returning.
That immediately told me there was going to be a lot to play.
This was very rich territory, and so that was good.
Hes a character whos always very, very sure of himself but thats being undermined.
That doubt and uncharacteristic self-examination will be a theme for Quaritch as the saga continues.
In the film, he confronts his death and holds his own skull in his hand.
ItsHamletlike To be or not to be, Alas, poor Quaritch, I knew him an existential moment.
He makes a choice by crushing that skull.
The way of Pandora, the way of water, courses through him at this point.
His blood is running blue.
You mix that with Quaritch, youve got something very, very explosive and somewhat confusing.
And I dont have definitive answers; playing this all out is finding those answers.
Materially speaking, Im not in the wardrobe that I wore before.
In my estimation, Quaritch basically always moved in straight lines.
Hes a right-angle character; hes a right-angle thinker.
He understands that he has to adapt, and a lot of that adaptation is expressed physically.
It seems to me that hes become a more sinewy, fluid character.
I thought it was a terrific rendering.
Hes a really handsome, good-looking dude; Im very pleased.
Hes got a lot of me in him; hes got Quaritch in him.
As a matter of fact, the more negatively you see me, the more it suits my purposes.
But I just play him as honest as I can.
It seems to me that youve got to give this demon his due.
Interestingly, not onlyAvatar, he certainly referencesTitanic.
So his films really encompass a lot of time: past, present, and future.
And so much happens inThe Way of Water,so many new characters and creatures and environments are introduced.
And I know you drop one word and anything I say becomes major news with these folks.
So I probably will embargo my mouth.
Cameron has quite the villain resume when it comes to his films.
Where do you think Quaritch falls on that list?
Below the Terminator but above the piranhas?Well, who are the villains inTitanic?
It was Billy Zane, right?
Yeah, Billy Zane.
Maybe the iceberg.The iceberg!
Okay, fine, Id say Im right there with the iceberg.
But Im delighted to be thought of as part of that, if thats what I am.
