‘Just because you’re blue …’ Sam Worthington gets recognised for Avatar role Jake Sully
Even though he plays the tall, blue alien Jake Sully, Sam Worthington is constitently recognised for starring in the Avatar franchise.
Sam Worthington gets constantly recognised for starring in Avatar.
The 49-year-old actor plays Jake Sully in director James Cameron’s sci-fi saga, and despite portraying a tall, blue alien, Worthington still consistently gets stopped by fans in public.
Speaking with Collider, he said: “I've been in the weirdest places in Africa and stuff. And someone has seen and experienced that movie and hears my voice and can hear Jake Sully or see a mannerism that I do that they've obviously recognized that.
“Because it is my performance, 100 per cent, animated on. And that's it. And everything is protected. Every part of us is protected.
“So yeah, certain smiles that I do, some guy will recognize or catch some and go, ‘I know that dude from somewhere.’
“And just because you're blue, it doesn't necessarily mean that the anonymity holds. Look at Zoe [Saldana]. Zoe's been blue in the whole saga. She was always recognizable even way before she got as super famous as she is now.”
Even so, the Clash of Titans actor admitted being recognised could sometimes be “overwhelming”.
He explained: “It's quite overwhelming. But, that being said, it's interesting how many people do recognize you and do come up and go, ‘Hey man, you're in that movie. You're the blue Jake Sully in the Avatar movie, aren't you?’ And that's a lot of people.
“And I can go anywhere in the world, and you can get through customs easier.”
He added: “I think my temperament as a person, this blockbuster really kind of suits a guy like me. Because of that, I get a lot of anonymity because of it, which is good for a person. As I said, good for a guy like me who gets a bit intimidated by being the center of attention.”
Reflecting on working with Cameron on the Avatar franchise, Worthington said he felt “spoiled” by the opportunity to collaborate with the Titanic director on such a big cinematic series.
He said: “I always believe Jim spoils you! I did Avatar when I was … I'd done movies leading up to Avatar, but once I did that, I was like 33 when it came out. Yeah, I was spoiled. I was broke for every other film.
“And people say to you, ‘Can we do the Avatar experience?’ I go, ‘The one thing that we had more than anything is time and Jim allows time.’
“It's such an actor-centric way of filming this performance capture. He does his camera and all the VFX much later. The bulk of it is us actors acting scenes with a director who's sitting right next to me, giving me ideas, giving me different challenges.
“And when you're on a conventional film set, the director's more worried about the shot, the dolly, the closeup, the sun, the extras.
“So we're very privileged that we've got a director that's generous with his time.”
Worthington reprised his role for the 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water and the most recent instalment Avatar: Fire and Ash.
In Fire and Ash, Jake Sully (Worthington), Neytiri (Saldana), and their children are drawn into a renewed war on Pandora when the fire-wielding Ash People, led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), emerge as a powerful new threat.
As grief resurfaces and old enemies stir, the family’s fragile alliance with the Metkayina clan is tested in a fight for survival, loyalty, and the future of their world.
The film also features Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Stephen Lang as Miles Quaritch and Kate Winslet as Ronal.
