The Way of Water<\/a> \u2013 but it\u2019s not the only surprise return to Pandora. Despite his death in the original movie, baddie Quaritch (AKA actor Stephen Lang) is back facing off with the Na\u2019Vi, this time in a towering Avatar body of his own.<\/p>\nRecently, we caught up with Stephen to find out how much he knew about his return, and what it was like to switch from his live-action role to the motion-capture suits of the Na\u2019Vi characters.<\/p>
There\u2019s been such a big gap between the first Avatar and the second one. Did you ever think that James Cameron would make another one?<\/strong><\/p>\nStephen: <\/strong>I did. Indeed, I never had anything but the greatest confidence in Jim Cameron. We were talking about it before the first one emerged, even as the first one was released, and then discussions began soon after its success, I would say. So I never for a moment doubted that would come out.<\/p>\nSo you never doubted it would come out \u2013 but your character died in the first one. Were you quite surprised to get the call?<\/strong><\/p>\nI was delighted to get the call. I was aware. Even as we were making the first one back in 2007, Jim had told me that he had planned for Quaritch to be around for a long time. What I\u2019ve learned is that when Jim says something, he pretty much means it.<\/p>\n
Now, what was absolutely thrilling to me was, I think, the extent to which Quaritch returned. In no way did he become a peripheral player or anything like that. He remains a very important figure throughout the world of Pandora and Avatar.<\/p>\n
So what is the deal with Miles in this one? Because obviously he\u2019s escaped death in the first one, and now he has returned in an Avatar body, right?<\/strong><\/p>\nWell, that wouldn\u2019t be entirely accurate. He did not escape death. He died. As it happens, it was company policy \u2013 RDA policy \u2013 to bank someone with his experience and his qualifications, bank their DNA.<\/p>\n
You have to understand that Quaritch probably had far more success on Pandora than he had failure. Failure came at the end, no question about that. But he had done a difficult job very well for a long time at that point, and probably no one knew the indigenous better than Quaritch.<\/p>\n
So there was every reason, I suppose, from RDA\u2019s point of view to continue to reap something out of their investment in him, which is what they do.<\/p>\n
It puts him in a rather odd position because he is Quaritch \u2013 and yet not really. He\u2019s got most of the memories of Quaritch \u2013 not all of them, but most of the memories of Quaritch. But he\u2019s in a completely new body. He has to learn to operate in a completely different way.<\/p>\n