Jack Champion, who plays the human-Na’vi hybrid Spider in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, recently shared how he fully embraced his character’s iconic look for the 2025 sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash. The 21-year-old actor filmed both Fire and Ash and 2022’s The Way of Water as a teenager, yet his performance now appears on the big screen with Spider fully realized.

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Embracing Spider’s Minimalist Look

In the Avatar sequels, Spider is a human teenager raised among the Na’vi on Pandora, living with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their family of Na’vi children. His character is known for wearing minimal clothing—a loincloth—and sporting dreadlocks, reflecting his integration into Na’vi culture.

Champion explained to PEOPLE at the December 1, 2025, Los Angeles premiere:

“I feel like embracing, for my live action portion, embracing the fact that this guy’s mobile. He rolls around in the mud. He goes and brushes against the leaves. That was just that. If I embrace it, then it’s not uncomfortable. I just got to go 110%.”

Champion noted that wearing the costume for the first time was a transformative experience:

“I mean, I was like, ‘I look pretty good. I might try to train a little bit.’ It was interesting to finally see this character that I had imagined for so long in front of me, on me. And I was like, ‘Okay, this is going to kick up the gears a shift. This is going to really make me go 110% now.’”

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Deepening Spider’s Story in Fire and Ash

In Fire and Ash, Spider takes on a larger role than in The Way of Water. His connection with Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) deepens, and he navigates a complex relationship with the antagonist Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who is revealed to be his father.

The film also features returning stars including Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, and Edie Falco, making it the longest installment in the Avatar series yet.

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Life on James Cameron’s Set

Champion described his time on Cameron’s visionary set as physically demanding and unpredictable:

“To me, the unpredictable became the normal. I feel like it’s like, ‘Oh, I have to jump off these four different rocks and not slip.’”

The actor embraced the rigorous movement, environmental interaction, and physicality required for Spider’s Na’vi lifestyle, demonstrating his commitment to bringing authenticity to the character.

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From Teen Actor to Big-Screen Star

Champion filmed these scenes as a teenager—between 14 and 16 years old—but now appears on-screen as a fully realized 21-year-old. His dedication to Spider’s look and movement reflects both the continuity of the character and the immersive nature of Cameron’s motion-capture process.

Fans can see the results in theaters now, as Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to expand the story of Pandora, blending emotional narratives with groundbreaking visual effects.