Avatar: The Way of Water stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña might play an inter-terrestrial couple on the big screen, but the talented duo says their real-life relationship is more like that of siblings.
"...She's like my sister. It's very weird that we [film] these love affairs together," Worthington, who is reprising his role as Jake Sully in the Avatar sequel, told People. Saldaña returns as Neytiri, a Na'vi princess and Jake's mate.
But the actors tell the publication that their friendship began not unlike a date, with Worthington joking that he "wooed" his future co-star in a hotel bar while auditioning for the 2009 sci-fi epic, Avatar.
"We met at a hotel bar. I said to [director James Cameron], 'Can I meet the person that you want to play Neytiri? Because I'd like to audition with them. I think that'll help me get the part.'
So I met Zoe, wooed her, charmed her and then found out a bit later that she had no idea what I was saying. She couldn't understand my accent," the Australian actor recalled.
However, Saldaña remembers the meeting just a bit differently.
"Listen to him: 'I talked to her, wooed her.' I'm the one who's the Chatty Cathy," the actress interjected, admitting that there was some truth to the story.
"But it's true—he would talk, and I had no idea what he was saying. The Australian accent was unfamiliar to me. And he spoke really fast."
While a date might've gotten lost in translation, the connection was crystal clear to Cameron—the filmmaker cast his two leads, and the pair have been friends ever since.
Worthington and Saldaña on Working With One Another: A 'Beautiful, Fantastic Journey'
Like truly supportive siblings, both Worthington and Saldaña only had good things to say about the other's on-screen talent.
While there's no denying that performance capture technology is a big key in bringing the sprawling, alien world of Pandora to life, Worthington said that movie magic pales in comparison to Saldaña's acting skills.
"Every time Zoe cries, that's a true tear. It's not animated. It's her performance coming through technology, and I get a front-row seat. I get to see many different takes that Zoe puts into the scene, the many different versions and journeys, and I journey with it. That's always exciting with someone like Zoe, because we get to play," he said.
Saldaña shared similarly sweet sentiments about Worthington, highlighting the "fragility" the actor brings to his character's strength.
"We get to play Sigourney Weaver's parents, and we get to see this brilliant artist transform and go back in time to the age of 14. We get to be rocked at our core by Stephen Lang and the level of complex villainhood that he brings to this story. And then I get to see someone like Sam, who brings such strength to Jake but [also] a level of fragility. And that's quite endearing. We get to have all this beautiful, fantastic journey, and we do it under the safety umbrella of James Cameron's playground.
Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now.