When James Cameron took us back to Pandora with Avatar: The Way Of Water in 2022, he not only returned heroic Na’vi couple Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) to our screens, but introduced us to their young, extended family too. They include Sully siblings Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss), plus human Spider (Jack Champion), and Tsireya (Bailey Bass) of the water-based Metkayina Clan. After an extensive audition process, Dalton, Bliss, Champion and Bass spent years shooting The Way Of Water and upcoming third film Fire And Ash concurrently, in roles that defined their childhoods and launched their careers. Empire sits down with the quartet to dive deep into their Avatar journey.
The first watch
Avatar arrived in December 2009, when Dalton (who hails from California), Bass (New York), Champion (Virginia) and Bliss (Los Angeles) were aged eight, six, five, and just one month, respectively. Young as he was, this big blue behemoth still managed to seep into Champion’s cinematic consciousness. “I have a vivid memory of watching it with my mom,” he says. “I remember thinking, ‘They have to make a sequel to this, right?’ And lo and behold…”
For the others, their debut trip to Pandora came during the casting process for The Way Of Water — in Bliss’ case, it was actually on the way to auditions. “It was a two hour drive with LA traffic,” she says. “I’d watch Avatar there and back and prepare myself, mimicking Neytiri.” She wasn’t the only one who gained early inspiration from Saldaña’s Na’vi matriarch. “I was like, ‘Holy cow,’” Bass, who also starred in TV’s Interview With The Vampire, says of her first time seeing the film. “I had a feeling who Tsireya was going to be, and her similarity to Neytiri, and thought, ‘That is what I get to emulate.’” Dalton didn’t catch up until after landing the role, but it provided pivotal context for what was coming. “It blew my mind,” he says, “and put into perspective how big a thing I was in.”
Making the movies
In Dalton’s words, all four actors “grew up on set”. “It’s a weird way to spend your childhood,” he continues, “but Pandora is sort of a second home to us.” Fifteen-year-old Bliss is the youngest of the bunch, and has distinct memories of watching her castmates get older throughout the shoot. “I remember we all started as kids, and we’d all be in set school together,” she recalls. “Slowly, everybody started growing up, and now I’m the only one.”
Bliss did get a hand with her homework, though, from incoming Fire And Ash star Oona Chaplin, who plays head of the Ash People Varang. “She helped with my diagram for school,” Bliss says. “She’d bring her ukulele and I’d have my guitar and we’d be outside her trailer, jamming together.”
Champion was on set twice as long as his castmates, shooting his scenes once with them on the Volume stage, and again alone on location in New Zealand. “When it ended, I went back to my hometown [Blacksburg], and it was crazy,” he says. “It’s hard to re-find yourself again when you get back to civilian life.” Despite working on one of the biggest franchises in history, they’re taking it all in their stride. “I feel like I forget,” Bass says of her unique childhood, “and then I tell people casually, because it’s our lives. I think we all do a good job, especially with our parents, of making sure it doesn’t get to our heads.”
Next on screen
Neteyam’s (Jamie Flatters) death in The Way Of Water will hit all the young characters hard — especially Dalton’s Lo’ak. “[Lo’ak] was born to be a leader,” Dalton says. “But he’s never been given the trust. When Neteyam dies… that’s no way that he ever imagined being finally able to be seen. He blames himself.”
Those shockwaves ripple down to Bliss’ Tuktirey, the baby of the family, too. “[The Way Of Water] was quite a coming of age for Tuk,” she says. “I don’t think she’ll ever be the same. It’s the first time she’s experienced a death in her life. She’s still her small and mighty self, and maybe she’ll move up the Sully ranks.”
As for Spider, after deciding to rescue the Na’vi version of his father, Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), but ultimately return to the Sullys, the third film sees him caught between two worlds. “He feels very conflicted,” says Champion. “His ‘dad’ is reborn into this Na’vi form and still as evil as ever, if not more so, and he still felt he had to save him. You see that guilt play out, and the evolution of Spider trying to figure out where he belongs.”
Bass’ Tsireya, as a member of the Metkayina Clan but close ally of the Omatikaya Sullys, will also learn to balance two sides of herself. “That bond [with the Sullys] continues to grow,” she explains, “and Tsireya has this turmoil between what’s right and standing up for people versus what you’re taught your entire life.”
Beyond Pandora
There may be (at least) two more Avatar movies to come after Fire And Ash, but the young stars have no shortage of ambition for the future once they’re done. Champion is keen to focus on his acting career — also on his CV are Scream VI and Freaky Tales — as well as screenwriting (“I’m not great yet, but I want to learn how”). He also has one specific type of movie in his sights: “As an actor, I feel like I was born to do a Western.” Bliss also wants to pursue acting, as well as music — right after she finishes high school.
Dalton has plans to develop his own films, and says he’d “love to start my own animal shelter”. And Bass, as well as climate activism and studying at Columbia University, wants to follow in the footsteps of a key mentor from her time on Avatar, the late Jon Landau. “I want to really emulate what Jon’s done in terms of producing,” she says. “Jon had impact, and he was never a douchebag. That’s the biggest thing I’m going to take away.” As words to live by, it’s up there with, “I see you.”
The Podcast: The Relatables
chosen by Bailey Bass
“I was listening to it last semester. It’s these Australian boys and they just talk about what girls hate about boys, and try to give girls advice on what works on guys. It’s kind of fire.”
The Book: Invincible by Robert Kirkman
chosen by Jack Champion
“This is not because [Season 3 of the TV adaptation] just came out. I read the entire three or four comic compendiums before the second season, and I love it dearly.”
The TV Show: The Last Of Us
chosen by Trinity Bliss
“I haven’t always been the biggest horror person — I was a scaredy-cat for quite a long time. But I got so invested in these characters and making sure they’re going to be alright. Episode 1 and 2 [of Season 2] had me in shambles.”
The Cartoon: Danny Phantom
chosen by Britain Dalton
“I like classic kid cartoons. I like horror, anything dark, and I like the gothic style. It was really cool and edgy for its time.”
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This article originally appeared in the July 2025 issue of Empire. Photography by Sam McGuire, shot exclusively for Empire in Los Angeles. Avatar: Fire And Ash comes to UK cinemas from 19 December.