Oscar-winning director James Cameron is sharing his admiration for Sigourney Weaver, who, at 76, portrays the teenage Na’vi character Kiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, now in theaters. Weaver, who originally played Dr. Grace Augustine in the 2009 Avatar, returned to the franchise for the sequels, taking on one of the most challenging roles of her career: a teenager living on Pandora.

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How Weaver Became Teen Kiri

Cameron explained that the idea of having Weaver play a teenager stemmed from her ability to channel youthfulness while maintaining depth in her performance.

“She was 70 and 71 across that period where she was capturing Kiri. I mean, she can capture Kiri tomorrow. Nothing’s changed. She just came in a different person. She came in lighter and more open. I mean, she literally looked like she had gotten younger.”

The role required Weaver to access memories and emotions from her own adolescence, portraying both the joy and anxieties of teenage life. Cameron highlighted the complexity of the performance:

“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.”

Weaver herself reflected on her teenage years, describing her younger self as “miserable” and insecure, lacking confidence, which she channeled into Kiri:

“Playing Kiri gave me an opportunity to go back and re-enter that state of mind, be in it and trust myself in a different way [with] that character.”

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From Grace Augustine to Kiri: The Evolution

In the sequels, Weaver’s portrayal of Kiri represents a new chapter in the Avatar universe. Cameron noted that her performance captures a sense of youth and vividness reminiscent of her original avatar work:

“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 brought a sense of authenticity to Kiri, portraying the awkwardness, curiosity, and emotional complexity of adolescence while fully inhabiting the Na’vi body created through Cameron’s groundbreaking CGI technology.

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The Challenge of Playing a Teenager

Cameron considers portraying a teenager at Weaver’s age one of the biggest acting challenges she has undertaken. It required balancing physicality, motion capture performance, and emotional authenticity across multiple years of filming. The sequels—The Way of Water (2022) and Fire and Ash—were filmed back-to-back, allowing Weaver to fully develop Kiri’s character in a continuous narrative.

“She can [answer] these questions better than I can, but [Weaver] talks about being gawky and awkward and feeling unseen, and she channels all that as well,” Cameron said.

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On-Screen Impact

Kiri’s character plays a significant role in Pandora’s ongoing story, interacting with both human and Na’vi characters, including Spider (Jack Champion) and the Sully family. Weaver’s performance has been described as “younger, more alive, more vivid,” allowing audiences to believe in the youthful energy of a Na’vi teenager despite the actress’s age.

Avatar: Fire and Ash brings together the rich visual effects, expansive world-building, and deeply personal character arcs that fans expect from Cameron’s Avatar universe, with Weaver’s Kiri at the center of the narrative.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash in Theaters

The film is now showing worldwide, continuing the saga of Pandora with groundbreaking CGI, immersive action sequences, and the next generation of Na’vi characters navigating a complex and vibrant world.

Fans can experience Kiri’s story, Spider’s journey, and the evolving dynamics of Pandora in this latest installment, which combines visual spectacle with heartfelt storytelling.