James Cameron introduced cinema lovers to the vibrant world of Pandora with the 2009 sci-fi action Avatar. Starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in lead roles, the movie became the highest-grossing film of all time and has continued to hold its status to this day with a lifetime gross of $2.9 billion. The sequel, released in 2022, has also been received very well by the audience and has taken the third spot among the highest-grossing films.
The makers and star cast of the film are enjoying the massive success of the franchise, which is set to continue for three more sequels. However, there have been many actors who either had to decline offers or failed their auditions. One such name also includes the Wonder Woman star Chris Pine, who recalled his horrible audition for Cameron’s sci-fi during an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
Chris Pine Recalled His Terrible Avatar Audition
Popular for starring alongside Gal Gadot in DC’s Wonder Woman film series, Chris Pine revealed that he also auditioned for James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi action Avatar. While it could have been the opportunity that would have changed the course of his career, the actor claims that the audition will “haunt [him] for the rest of [his] life.”
During an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he recalled that he messed up his audition as he did not really believe in himself. “I walked into that room absolutely not believing myself,” he shared as he mentioned that he stopped midway in his audition. While he admitted that he was not too great at his audition, he also stated,
“It’s one of these things—sometimes you can leave your car in Burbank, Los Angeles and walk into a conference room, and your back is sweating, and you’re thinking about the laundry you have to do, and somehow seamlessly, you can then pretend to be a man in a loincloth standing in front of blue people saying lines like, ‘Come follow me, I’ll save you!’ And sometimes you just can’t buy it.”
The actor shared that knowing that he was not doing very well, he couldn’t put the casting director through his terrible audition, and stated that she also found it hilarious, saying, “She was maybe smiling or laughing at me.” However, he did not mind the reaction, as he was aware that he was “probably pretty bad” and decided to say goodbye to the billion-dollar franchise.
Actors Who Almost Starred in James Cameron’s Avatar
Sam Worthington landed the lead role of Jake Sully in James Cameron’s 2009 film after auditioning twice for the role. The actor has shared that he was living in a car when he auditioned for the movie. “I sold everything I owned to my mates because I didn’t like who I was,” he shared.
Producer of the 2009 film Jon Landau also shared that they had a hard time reaching out to the actor as “he was somewhere on a mountaintop without a phone,” before adding, “That’s who Sam is.” While he landed the role in the biggest movie of all time, some A-list stars almost replaced him as Jake Sully in the franchise.
Apart from Chris Pine, Matt Damon was offered the role, but he had to decline it as he was busy with the Jason Bourne series. Marvel stars Chris Evans, Jake Gyllenhall, and Chris Pratt were also in line, along with Channing Tatum. However, the filmmaker was quite intrigued by Worthington, and he eventually won the role.
The Avatar franchise is available on Disney+.
Source: Chicago Tribune
