How James Cameron Navigated the Controversial Kiss in Avatar: Fire and Ash

In the latest instalment of the Avatar franchise, Fire and Ash, a particular scene has prompted considerable discussion among audiences. The moment in question features Kiri, a Na’vi adolescent, sharing a kiss with Spider, the human son adopted by Jake and Neytiri. The casting of Sigourney Weaver, aged 76, as Kiri, and Jack Champion, now 21 but only 15 at the time of filming, as Spider, has led to questions regarding the appropriateness of the scene.

The film, directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and Joel David Moore, runs for just over three hours and is set for release on 19 December 2025. Early reviews have given it a 66% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Filming the Scene: Body Doubles and Digital Magic

To address concerns, the production team employed a combination of body doubles and advanced CGI. This ensured that Weaver and Champion did not actually share the on-screen kiss. Instead, each actor performed the scene with a partner closer to their own age, and the footage was seamlessly merged in post-production to create the illusion of intimacy between Kiri and Spider.

James Cameron explained in an interview that the actors performed everything except the kiss together.

They played the scene and did everything except the kiss. I think it was OK for Sigourney to kiss him on the cheek. There are a lot of rules around intimacy stuff so that was one of the very few times that we had to do something that was just the tiniest bit inauthentic, but we had to do it because we had to do it that way

Weaver echoed this sentiment, expressing her satisfaction with the final result and the authenticity it brought to the film. She remarked,

I believed it. It’s so genuine between the two of them and any concern about Jack’s real age and my real age, I think there’s no room for it there.

She also praised Champion, describing him as "terrific."

The Director’s Perspective: Why the Kiss Mattered

For Cameron, the scene was rooted in personal experience. He recalled his own school days, when he often found himself shorter than the girls he fancied. The visual of Kiri, a head taller than Spider, leaning down for the kiss, was a deliberate choice. Initially, some on the creative team felt the relationship between the two characters should remain sibling-like, but Cameron had other ideas.

He explained,

And I thought, no, let’s play that awkward young love thing where they don’t really know how to express it or confront it. And I just love that image when she kisses him at the waterfall and she’s a head taller than him and she has to kind of bend down. My memory of the seventh and eighth grade was all the girls were taller than me, and it didn’t slow me down at all! I thought they were very cool, even though they were bigger than me.

Weaver, too, commented on the height difference, saying,

Being a tall woman myself, height doesn’t matter at all. I love that we’re mismatched. It’s perfect.

Audience Reaction and Ongoing Debate

The scene has certainly divided opinion, with some viewers questioning whether Kiri and Spider’s relationship should have remained platonic. Others appreciate the complexity and nuance it brings to their dynamic. The film is currently showing in cinemas across the United States, inviting audiences to form their own opinions on this much-talked-about moment.

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