Sigourney Weaver Addresses Controversy Over Kissing Scene with Teen ‘Avatar’ Co-Star

Sigourney Weaver has addressed concerns about a romantic scene in the new Avatar: Fire and Ash film involving her character, Kiri, and the teenage human Spider, played by Jack Champion.

The scene, which includes a kiss between the two characters, raised questions because of the real-life age gap—Weaver is 76, while Champion was 14 to 16 during filming.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Weaver explained how the scene was handled carefully. “That scene where I say, ‘You’re perfect just as you are,’ we had to be very delicate about that scene because it included a kiss,” she said. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to kiss Jack, who was 14 or 15, in real life.”

Weaver first appeared in the original Avatar as scientist Grace Augustine. In the sequels, she returned as Kiri, a teenage Na’vi-Avatar hybrid cloned from Grace’s avatar and adopted by Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). In Fire and Ash, Kiri and Spider grow closer, leading to a romantic scene on screen.

To keep the scene appropriate, Weaver and director James Cameron arranged for Champion to suggest someone he could safely kiss, while age-appropriate stand-ins were used during filming. “That concern about all of that, which is quite legitimate, was going on,” Weaver said.

“And I’m glad the scene survived, because when I saw it, 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.”

Weaver added that this was the only scene where she and Champion filmed separately. “It was only that one moment,” she said. “It was like a little vacation whenever we had a scene [together] because we’re frolicking. It’s kind of a time off for me because she’s so deliriously happy; she enjoys his company so much. I love that we’re mismatched. It’s perfect.”

Champion also spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the experience. “I’ve been asked, ‘Is it difficult?’ But since Sigourney is Sigourney, she’s so good at acting, and we’re literally in a performance-capture Volume where it’s gray. We know that our imagination is our main weapon,” he said.

He added that he and Weaver had instant chemistry. “I think we maybe had one scripted scene, but then for the next like 30 minutes, Sigourney and I just literally riffed. We really just used our imagination, and it was fun.”

The careful planning and use of stand-ins ensured the scene was filmed safely while remaining authentic on screen.

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